Changing the Past, Changes the Future
by J Lyn Takashi
Summary: What happens when fate takes Kagome back to a month before Inuyasha was pinned to the tree? Will she ever get back to the right time? Will she change the past or leave it the way it is?
1. Too Much

A/N: If you have read this story before, I have made some revisions to chapters 1-4. Some more than others. If this is your first time, welcome and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is no mine.

Chapter 1- Too Much

Today was Kagome's eighteenth birthday. It had been three years since Mistress Centipede pulled her into the well. They were still gathering jewel shards while chasing Naraku. Today meant she was the same age Kikyo had been when she had died. For the last three years, the only person Kagome saw in the mirror anymore was Kikyo. That was until she found out about Tomi. Tomi was Inuyasha's dead mate and she had been Kikyo and Kaede's sister. Kikyo, herself, had told Kagome how unnerving the resemblance was.

Half a year had passed since Inuyasha told Kagome about his mate. He tried to erect an emotional barrier between himself and Kagome because he felt guilty for betraying his mate by his feelings for Kagome. Kagome felt like she had lost her friend in that instant. The only time Inuyasha spoke to her was when they were looking for jewel shards. He didn't even insult her anymore. Not that Kagome had liked being insulted, but at least then Inuyasha gave her the time of day. Kagome had always thought that Kikyo was his mate, even when he insisted that she wasn't. She just thought he was lying, so he wouldn't hurt her. Damn, she was sure wrong!

It had been a week since she found out the truth about Inuyasha's mate. Kikyo's sister, Tomi, was his mate. Naraku had confessed that he had killed her and made Inuyasha think that Kikyo had done it out of jealousy that Inuyasha wanted Tomi and not her. This would, of course, taint the jewel to a point where it might not even be possible to purify it. Naturally, Naraku had made Kikyo think that Inuyasha killed her beloved younger sister because she wouldn't give him the jewel. It had all been part of Naraku's disgusting plan to get the jewel. Kagome didn't know why he had made Tomi his victim, but it really didn't matter now.

Azure eyes stared into the mirror intently. Soaked strands of raven hair fell to her yellow towel covered breasts. Now, every time she looked into the mirror she saw Tomi. It was disturbing to see a woman she had never seen before, instead of herself when she looked in the mirror. How could she see herself when no one else did? Her left hand lifted a lock of hair and she turned her attention to hair, now held at eye level. Her small, quivering right hand introduced the scissors to her hair with a drastic cut. She watched dispassionately as nearly eight inches of length fell soundlessly into the sink. A tear rolled down her cheek as she cut more and more of her beautiful hair from her. She didn't care what it would look like when she finished. She had no identity anymore. Before, all they saw when they looked at her was Kikyo, now all they saw was the formerly unknown, Tomi. Didn't they know that she wasn't Kikyo or Tomi? She was Kagome!

She stared at the claw marks on her cheek and was reminded that Inuyasha knew this all too well. He had told her if she ever said Tomi's name again, he would kill her. He said this after backhanding her, digging his claws into her face, and knocking her to the floor. She couldn't believe that he would ever hit her. The betrayal of that act hurt her more than when she thought he was running off to have trysts with Kikyo.

She remembered Kikyo's words to her, before she had shoved Kagome into the well. "You need to stay away from him. For whatever reason, his demon half reacts to you like he would a mate, but his human half denies that you could be his mate, and that is why he is like this."

Sobbing, she dropped the scissors, and fell to her knees. That was how her mother found her. "Kagome?" She opened the door.

She stared at her daughter in shock, horror, and pity. Kagome had hacked away at her hair, leaving it where it would brush the collar of her shirt. "Oh, Kagome." She hugged her daughter tightly and let her cry in her arms. "Why did you do that Kagome?" She asked after a few moments.

"Because I look like Tomi. And I'm not her."

Mrs. Higurashi didn't even want to touch that one. She remembered Kagome returning in hysterics last week. She had made Kagome explain to her what happened and then refused to let Kagome return for at least a week. She ran her hands through her daughter's now short, black hair. Kagome suddenly stood up and looked in the mirror.

"It looks awful."

Her mom stood up, holding the scissors. "I can fix it. Make it even," she said.

"Okay." Kagome smiled weakly.

******** ******** ********

Kagome studied the cherry colored can of Coke in her hand as she sat at the table with her mother. Thank God her mother had been a hair dresser before Kagome's father died.

"Are you sure about this, Kagome?"

She nodded, her fingers toying with the tab on top of the can. "I don't even know why I go over there. What's the point? I love Sango, Miroku, and Shippo, but Inuyasha makes it so hard for me to be there. He doesn't talk to me much, and the only time he does is when I sense a jewel shard, mama. He threatened to kill me for saying her name, mom. I can't do this anymore. The others will understand. They even wonder why I still travel back and forth. Besides, Kikyo can find the shards for Inuyasha and it's only right that they be together because she is his mate's sister."

Her shattered eyes locked with her mother's. "Mama, I can't do this anymore. I feel like I'm losing myself. That I'm not Kagome anymore. It's just too much, mama."

"Whatever you do, sweetie, I am totally behind you,"

"Thanks mom." Kagome rose to her feet.

"You're doing this today? But it's your birthday."

Kagome nodded. "The sooner I get this over with the better, because it's going to hurt a lot saying goodbye." She walked by her loaded yellow backpack as she opened the door. "If I wait until tomorrow, I might lose my nerve."

Her mom walked over to her and hugged her. "I love you, Kagome. Happy Birthday."

"I love you, too, mom. I'll be back in a few hours." She walked out the door.

She sat on the well's edge, staring into it for a long time. Three years ago today, she had been pulled in and taken to the past. She always thought it led her to her destiny. When she was fifteen, she had believed that Inuyasha was her destiny. Now she knew how incredibly naïve she had been.

At least Inuyasha was honest with her, well kind of. He could have acted like he cared about her when he really didn't. He was as cold to her as Sesshomaru was to everyone but Rin. She didn't think what she was doing was running away, because she wasn't afraid of anything to do with Inuyasha.

"Well," she said with a sigh. "It's time to say goodbye. It's useless to keep fighting. I don't even know why I keep fighting." She jumped into the well, feeling the time shift.

It felt strangely different this time. Kagome didn't try to analyze it as she grabbed the vines to climb out. One hand after another, she pulled her self out. She walked toward the village and froze when she saw the sacred tree. There was no scar on it from where Inuyasha had been pinned and ran back to the well. Something wasn't right! She climbed back down the vines about five feet from the bottom she jumped. She hit the bottom and nothing happened. She tried three more times and climbed out of the well. She frowned and was starting to panic as she continued on the path to the village.

"Big sister! Big sister!" A young girl's voice cried out.

Kagome froze and hid behind a tree. She watched as a girl about eight or so chased after an older priestess. Kagome knew her instantly. The older sister was Kikyo. But if the little girl was Kikyo's sister that meant… "Oh shit." Kagome stared at them in shock. They were Kikyo and Kaede! Some how the well had taken her back fifty three years too far. Now, she would get to see Tomi. Why? Why would it do that? Kagome shifted, stepping on a twig. It cracked under her feet.

Kikyo grabbed an arrow and shot it into the tree. "Don't make me come get you! Come out now."

Kagome was thankful for once that she had worn the priestess outfit given to her by her grandfather. "Please don't shoot." She stepped out from behind the tree, holding her hands up.

Kikyo lowered the arrow and approached the other priestess. "Sister Kikyo, she looks just like you, except for her eyes," Kaede said.

Kikyo had to admit that the resemblance was incredible. She knew her father had not been faithful to his wife. Perhaps, this girl was one of his bastards. Yes, that must be it. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Tomiko." Kagome didn't hesitate to answer. It's not like she could tell them her real name, so she told them her mother's name.

"What brings you to our village, Tomiko?"

Kagome nearly panicked. What should she say? That she is from five hundred and fifty three years in the future and everyone thinks that she is Kikyo's reincarnation. 'Sure that one is believable.' Kagome mentally rolled her eyes. "I'm looking for my family," she told them.

Kikyo gasped before she dropped the bow and arrow to grab Kagome into an enthusiastic hug.

"What are you doing?" She pulled back, but Kikyo took hold of her hands.

"You're our sister. I knew it when I first saw you that you had to be sired by our father. I'm sorry to say that it has been nearly six years since he passed on. I am so happy to know that it's not just me and Kaede."

Kagome didn't know how to reply, so she said nothing. She should tell them the truth, but acting like their sister would give her some time to think about how she could get home. She smiled weakly at the beaming Kikyo.

"Kaede, come here. This is our sister, Tomiko! Tomiko, this is our sister, Kaede." She led Kagome to Kaede. Kaede's arms wrapped around her legs in a tight hug.

"Hello, sister Tomiko. It is nice to meet you," Kaede said.

"Hello Kaede. It is nice to meet you too." Kagome gave them a fake smile. It's falseness was lost on the happy girls.

Kikyo held her bow in one hand and Tomiko's in the other. Kaede held Tomiko's other hand and the two happy sisters led Kagome or Tomiko back to the village.

None of them knew about the half demon boy following them in the treetops.

******** ******** ********

Long after Kikyo and Kaede had fallen asleep, Kagome sat alone on the roof of the hut, like she had done several times before. Only this time, she was fifty three years farther back in time than she usually was. The only thing she knew for sure was that the well didn't work. So much for being back in time for her birthday party. Kagome sighed. 'Mom is going to kill me when I get back…if I get back'. This was even more hopeless than the first time she had fallen in the well. The gentle breeze pulled at the strands of Kagome's short hair. She raised her hand to her hair. It felt so odd to have it so short.

"Who the hell are you?" She jumped at the sound of the familiar, but very suspicion filled voice.

She looked at the half demon sitting in the moonlight a few feet from her in shock.

"What the fuck are you looking at, bitch? Are you stupid or something? Who the hell are you?"

Kagome was pissed. Nobody talked to her like that! "I'm looking at a rude half demon with cute ears. No, I'm not stupid. And I am Tomiko, Kikyo's sister."

"Well, you sure look stupid with your hair like th… Did you just say that my ears are cute?" He appeared speechless. She nearly snickered at the thought of rendering Inuyasha speechless.

Kagome blushed. Damn, this wasn't the Inuyasha she had once been friends with. This was the hurt, hard, suspicious, very damaged Inuyasha. He looked wild and feral, just sitting next to her. "I didn't mean to insult you."

She was suddenly pinned to the roof by him. His hair brushed her face as he leaned close enough to sniff her throat. "What are you doing?! Get off of me!" She bucked her hips causing them to collide with his.

His ears pinned back and a sound between a moan and a growl erupted from him. "Stop it! I'm not going to hurt you." He sniffed a few more times, before pulling back. His eyes were now slits, obviously they didn't smell similar enough for him. "You don't smell that much like her."

Kagome stared at him. "We do have different mother's, maybe I smell like my mother. Do you smell like your half brother?"

He was now even more suspicious. "How do you know that I have a half brother?"

'Nice going, Kagome' She nearly panicked. Damn, she was stupid! She shouldn't have known about Sesshomaru! "I didn't you, just told me."

"Huh?" He stared at her in shock.

"So, do you smell like him?"

"Not really."

"Well, Kikyo's my half sister, so doesn't it make sense that I don't really smell like her." She reasoned.

He grunted in agreement. He was both happy and unnerved that she didn't smell like Kikyo. On one hand, while Kikyo was his only friend, her scent had no impact on him. What unnerved him was the way he reacted to her scent. There was something different about it.

That something different made his blood, both demon and human, run thick and hot. Being a virgin, he had never felt such a strong urge to tear the clothing from a woman and mate in his life. She looked nearly identical to Kikyo except for a few things. Her eyes were more expressive and alive, not as cold. Her lips were more red and full. And the breasts he could feel pillowing his chest through his clothing were larger. Then there was her hair. He had never seen hair like that on anyone. His clawed hands released her wrists and burrowed in her hair. It was so short for a woman her age. He pushed his nose in her hair and inhaled. She was so clean. She didn't smell like most humans and her scent nearly drove him wild.

He could smell something else too. Something that made him want her even more. She was aroused. Very aroused. He might be a virgin, but he had been around enough people rutting to know what arousal smelled like. He was stunned that a human woman was so aroused by him. Him! A filthy half demon. His eyes narrowed. A trick! It had to be a trick! She was going to act like she was into him then purify him. Well he wouldn't let this bitch get the better of him. He leapt from her as if she were vile.

"You'll keep out of my way, if you know what's good for you, Tomi!" With those words, he was gone.

Things seemed so hopeless. This was supposed to be the last time she came to the past. Now she was too far in the past and the well wouldn't work. Kagome didn't move for a few moments as she continued to stare at the stars. She sat up with a gasp as she recalled what Inuyasha had called her. Tomi. That was why she looked so much like Tomi, because she was Tomi. She was Inuyasha's long lost mate and Naraku was going to kill her. Damn, she was stupid! It explained everything that had happened since she arrived here. She should have known when Kikyo said they were sisters. Her bitter laughter at the irony of the situation reached the ears of Inuyasha sitting not too far away.


	2. The Memory Remains

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 2- The Memory Remains

Kagome crawled back into the hut and after tossing and turning, she fell asleep. As soon as sleep took her, she dreamt of the events that had helped to lead her here.

*Start Dream Sequence*

Naraku's laughter echoed through the field as he faced Inuyasha. "Do you remember when you thought Kikyo killed that little bitch you thought was your mate, Inuyasha? What was her name again?"

"Tomi. Her name was Tomi, you bastard!" He shouted at the evil half demon.

"She was quite a pretty little bitch. Even more beautiful than her older sister, Kikyo, wasn't she?" Naraku smiled. "Kikyo didn't kill Tomi. She could have never been capable of killing her own sister."

"You bastard!" It dawned on Inuyasha that Naraku and not Kikyo had killed his future mate.

"Of course Kikyo thought it had been you that killed her beloved little sister and came after you," Naraku cooed.

The other members of Inuyasha's gang stood in stunned silence as they listened to the conversation. Sango and Miroku looked at Kagome, who shook her head. They had always thought that Kikyo was the one Inuyasha had loved. They had believe that the conflict had been over the sacred jewel. Could they be wrong? "I didn't know that Inuyasha had loved anyone, but Kikyo," Sango whispered.

"Me too." Kagome agreed. "Of course, it's not like Inuyasha even speaks to me anymore." She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice as she replied to Sango.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha yelled, never once taking his eyes from Naraku.

Naraku's laughter caused everyone to cringe. "Yes. That's what he wants you to think. The only reason he had agreed to use the jewel was because he couldn't bare to live as a half demon without his beloved mate."

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know what you're talking about!" He charged Naraku in a nearly blind rage.

The mocking laughter faded away in the wind as Naraku vanished. Inuyasha whirled around to face Kagome. His totally wild look made the humans take a small step back. "Where is he, Kagome?!" He shouted at her.

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know, he just vanished."

"What the hell do you mean that he just vanished?" He sheathed his sword and stalked toward her.

"I mean what I said! He was here and now he's just gone!" Kagome yelled back.

Inuyasha's clawed hands grabbed Kagome's arms painfully. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He shook her hard. "Why can't you sense the jewel shards? What good are you if you can't find the fucking things?"

Fire snapped into Kagome's eyes and her whole aura flared. "Oh yeah? What about you, dog boy? Is your nose broken? Why can't you find him?"

His ears pinned back in his white hair. He shoved her away from him carelessly causing her to hit the ground.

"Hey!" She stared up at him.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku said sternly.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango knelt down to check on Kagome.

Kagome didn't reply. She couldn't believe that he had shoved her. He had never once talked to her or treated her like that before. He had made it very clear six months ago that he wanted nothing to with her once all the shards were found and Naraku was defeated. He didn't even want her as a friend. That was what hurt her the most. After the two and a half years they had spent together, he didn't even think of her as a friend. He had told her several times that she was just his shard detector. Hurt in more than one way, Kagome said the only thing she could to hurt him. "Sit!"

Sango helped her to her feet and watched as Inuyasha crawled from his crater. His gold eyes filled with a silent apology didn't match the rest of his angry face as he looked at Kagome. "Bitch!" He hissed, before leaping away from them.

"Come oe, Kagome. Let's go back to the village." Miroku and Sango helped her over to Kilala.

"Kagome." Shippo hugged her. "Are you okay?"

She smiled falsely. "Yeah, Shippo. I'm fine."

***************************************************************************

"Lady Kagome, have you ever thought about going home and staying there?" Miroku asked as they sat in Kaede's hut much later that night.

"Do you really want me to leave?" She asked in a weak voice.

"No. It's nothing like that, Kagome." Sango blurted, afraid that Kagome would get the wrong impression. "We are really worried about you. Since you have been changing into a woman, Inuyasha has become more and more volatile. He is so cruel and cold to you. Watching him slowly tear you apart, truly hurts us, Kagome." Sango held Kagome's hand.

"If you wanted to return home and not come back, we would understand." Miroku chose his words carefully.

"If I leave who would find the shards of the jewel?" she asked the occupants of the room.

Kikyo. The unspoken name reverberated through the room like a cannon after firing.

"Why? Why is he doing this to me?" She burst into tears, not being able to hold them back any longer.

Kaede watched the group closely. She, too had been noticing Inuyasha's violent tendencies toward Kagome of late. When she first met the girl, she had looked so much like Kikyo, it was nearly terrifying. Now that Kagome was nearly three years older, her face resembled their sister, Tomi's. "Tomi," she replied.

"What?" They all stared at Kaede in shock.

"When you first came here, Kagome, you looked so much like Kikyo, it was incredible. But as you have grown older and become a woman, you look much like my long dead sister, Tomi."

"Lady Kaede," Miroku began. "Today when Naraku confronted Inuyasha, he told him that it was he who killed Tomi. Who exactly is Tomi and why have we never heard of her?"

Kaede sighed. She really didn't like to speak of the sister that she had only known for a month, but had loved since the day they met. She had mentioned her once to Kikyo since her resurrection and watched the cold, emotionless undead priestess begin to sob in hysterics. "We only met Tomi a month before Kikyo sealed Inuyasha to the tree. She was about the same age as Kikyo, perhaps a little younger."

"Our father had not been the most faithful of men and was a womanizer. One day, she just showed up in the village. Kikyo knew at once she was our sister, so she moved in with us."

"But we thought that Inuyasha loved Kikyo," Sango said.

"Nay. Inuyasha and Kikyo were friends, nothing more. Kikyo felt sorry for him, because he was just looking for his place in the world, just like she was. That's why she could never bring herself to kill him. Tomi was shy and something about her drew Inuyasha to her. Kikyo said not too long ago that she thought Inuyasha's reaction to her was because she was his mate. He had been too young and afraid to take a human as his mate. Plus he didn't even know what happened when he found one." Kaede told them.

"What happened to her?" Sango asked.

"Tomi was killed one day. I found her body by the well perhaps she had been planning to hide in it. She had the same claw marks on her like the ones Kikyo died from, but her throat had been slashed, killing her. It was that day that Inuyasha agreed to become human. He wanted to become human so he would die sooner. Only Kikyo knew how hurt he was. He decided that he and Kikyo would live together as husband and wife, but they would never have children. She didn't want children with him and he couldn't imagine being with anyone, but Tomi."

"So, because they were friends, and both suffering the loss of someone they had only known for a short time, but loved dearly, they would live together as humans?" Kagome asked, shocked by the turn of events. "How sad."

"Aye. The day they were to meet everything happened the way they said it had, but I believe that Naraku in Inuyasha's form told Kikyo that he had killed Tomi and did the same thing in Kikyo's form. That is why everything happened the way it did."

"That about sums it up, doesn't it, you old hag?" Inuyasha walked into the hut and sat down far from his friends. He cradled Tetsusaiga against his chest.

"All this time we thought it was just about the jewel." Kagome shook her head. "I'm so sorry both of you. I never knew that Naraku had killed anyone so dear to you. I'm very sorry about, Tomi."

Before anyone knew what was happening, Inuyasha had Kagome by the throat and he slammed her against the wall. All of them so focused on what was happening, they didn't notice when his sword clattered to the wood floor. "Don't you ever say her name again! Do you hear me? Your lips aren't even fit to say her name!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it," She rasped, her hands clamping over his wrists. "I can't breathe."

Miroku jumped up. "Inuyasha, let her go! She didn't mean anything by it." He pulled at Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Get off of me!" He slung Miroku off him like he was an insect.

Sango stared at the altercation, rising to her feet. She knew that the reason Inuyasha was so violent was because he was fighting his feelings for Kagome. He needed to mate and his demon blood was making him extremely unpredictable since he was denying it. "Let her go, Inuyasha. She didn't mean anything. Did you ever think that Kagome's your mate?"

He let go of Kagome and whirled to face Sango. "Tomi is my mate."

"Tomi is dead!" Kagome bit her lip the second she said it.

Spinning around, Inuyasha's right hand flew upward, backhanding Kagome so hard that it lifted her from her feet before she hit the ground. Blood dripped from her nose and her lip. Inuyasha stared at her in horror as he fought the urge to help her to her feet and beg for forgiveness.

A very human snarl of rage echoed through the silence of the room as Sango's arms wrapped around Inuyasha's waist, slinging them to the side of Kagome. Inuyasha's eyes stared in shock at Sango. "If you ever hit her again, I'll kill you." Her voice was a low, deadly whisper as she pulled out a hidden dagger, and held it against his throat. She pressed it against his skin drawing blood, to show him she was serious.

Miroku and Kagome's eyes locked, slowly moving at the same time to the Tetsusaiga, which Inuyasha had dropped when he moved to grab Kagome.

Sango gasped as she watched Inuyasha's eyes roll back in his head and begin to tint crimson. A magenta stripe appeared on each cheek. Suddenly, she was pulled of the half demon when Miroku's arms wrapped around her waist and jerked her off him.

While Miroku moved to pull Sango from Inuyasha, Kagome scurried to grab the Tetsusaiga. After the two humans were clear of the half demon, she lightly tossed it, so it landed on his chest. His back arched and a snarl ripped from his lips as his eyes once again rolled back in his head.

Now gold eyes stared at the human's in the room. The whole look of him appeared to be apologetic, but his next words were anything, but. "If any of you ever say her name again, I will kill you." He leapt from the room and into the night.

Sango and Miroku both rushed to Kagome, who looked slightly dazed. "Are you okay?" Miroku reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Don't touch me."

"Kagome, let me…" Sango grabbed her arm.

Kagome jerked away. "Don't touch me!" She grabbed her bag and slowly walked out the door, in shock.

"Do you ever think Kagome will come back?" Shippo spoke for the first time, drawing the attention of the shocked, slightly horrified humans.

"I don't know, Shippo," Sango told him honestly.

Miroku shook his head. "If she doesn't return, none of us can blame her." That was all Kagome heard before she was out of earshot.

Kagome stood at the well for a long time, just staring at it. "Will you return?" She turned to face Kikyo.

"Why do you care?"

Kikyo walked up to Kagome and wiped the blood from her lip with her fingertips. "You remind me of her very much."

Kagome didn't need to ask who, so she said nothing.

"He never mated with her. That is why he is so off balance. If he was a full demon or a full human, he could let her go. A human will grieve, but live on. A demon would not have the emotion to grieve and move on quickly. Since he is half demon and never claimed his mate, his demon side still screams for her, and his human side refuses to acknowledge that she has passed on." Kikyo stared at Kagome. "You need to stay away from him. For whatever reason, his demon half reacts to you like he would a mate, but his human half denies that you could be his mate, and that is why he is like this."

"How do you know?"

Kikyo smiled at her. "Because he told me. Think carefully about your decision, Kagome." Kikyo shoved her back and into the well.

This time, Kagome watched as Kikyo's clothing shifted from her priestess garb to clothing worn in Kagome's era. She stared into the well after her. "Good luck, Kagome. I hope to see you again. I guess I will know in a month." She walked from the well.

*End Dream Sequence*

"Kikyo!" Kagome sat bolt upright, drawing both Kikyo and Kaede's attention.

"Yes?" Kikyo frowned at her younger sister.

Kagome shook her head. "Nothing. I just had a bad dream," she lied. Her hands covered her face. 'Holy shit! Did Kikyo know her secret? Did the future Kikyo suspect that Kagome and Tomiko were the same person?

"It's okay, now, Tomiko," Kikyo told her as she sat down next to her. "You're with us, now. Everything will be fine." Kikyo stroked her short hair.

'If you only knew,' Kagome thought. 'If you only knew.'


	3. Complicated

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I do have a computer and a vivid imagination.

Chapter 3- Complicated

_'So, if I died in this time before, does that mean I was reincarnated into myself? Right, this is just too weird' _Kagome or Tomiko as she was called, sat next to the sacred tree with her back against it. A week had passed since she arrived here. Thinking back to her dream she had the first night she arrived, Kikyo had worn clothing from the modern era in it, was it possible that Kikyo still existed in twenty first century Tokyo? She was trying desperately to make sense of the situation she was in.

Every time she started thinking hard about the whole thing, she thought of the American movie "Back to the Future". She laughed softly when she thought of Doc explaining to her about the time paradox, like he did to Marty. She knew that the movie was fake, but with everything she had been through, she wondered if a time paradox really destroy everything? With a sigh, she ceased her laughter and continued to think about her situation. Anything she did here could change the future. She had to be very careful.

High in the sacred tree, a half demon watched the girl from the corner of his narrowed golden eyes. His legs straddled the branch and his arms were tucked behind his head. At first, he had been annoyed when the girl first showed up here. He hated it when people came around his tree. He usually chased them away the first chance he got, but she didn't make any noise or bother him, so he let her stay. There was something about her that made him want to stay close to her and protect her. Sure he felt that way about Kikyo, but she was his friend, so he watched out for her. With this girl, Kikyo's sister, it was totally different. He felt drawn to her and he couldn't control the force that drew him to her. He heard her laugh and thought for a second that she had seen him and was laughing at him, but then he heard her sigh, and knew that wasn't the case. Damn, she was weird! He tried to fight what he was feeling. She was just a stupid human. She was weak, helpless, fragile, and beautiful. Gods, she was beautiful. She was so far out of his reach it hurt to look at her. He couldn't believe he felt this way. He had never reacted like this to anyone.

He watched as she rose to her feet with her bow and arrows and walked toward the Bone Eater's well, humming a song he had never heard. He knew she wasn't a very good archer and even if she was, she might not be fast enough. He followed her through the treetops and watched her walk to the well. His eyes narrowed as she sat on the edge of the well. Was she going to jump in? She turned to face the clearing, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and lowered herself into the well.

Every night around dark, Kagome would take a walk to the well, climb down the vines and jump from five or so feet up. Every night the results were the same, nothing happened.

"Damn." She thought of kicking the well wall, but didn't really want to hurt her foot. With a sigh, she grabbed the vines, hoping no one was in the clearing.

She was thankful that Kikyo and Kaede left her alone for her walks. Kikyo told Kaede that Tomiko was used to being alone, so for only two or so hours a day, they let her be. Kagome had no idea how she could explain her climbing out of the well to them. There was no way she could tell them the truth. She couldn't tell them that in a month, Kikyo, Tomiko, and Inuyasha would all be dead. Her hands reached over the edge of the well as she prepared to pull herself out.

She screamed as she was grabbed out of the well by a pair of strong hands. She looked into the gold eyes of a very annoyed Inuyasha. "I knew you'd act like that," he sneered as he sat her on her feet. "You're just like Kikyo. You can't stand to let a half breed touch you." He turned to walk away.

Kagome chased after him and grabbed his wrist. "Wait! I'm sorry. You just startled me."

His eyes widened as he stared at the small human hand touching him. Never before had a human, other than his mother, touched him like that. For almost a year, Kikyo had been his friend. She was the only friend he had ever had and not even Kikyo touched him. He acted like he didn't care, but he did. It bothered him that the only person to treat him decent, was disgusted by him. Not even Kikyo, with her good, kind heart wanted to touch him. She just felt pity for him. He knew that, but he was just so tired of being alone that he didn't really care.

His eyes moved to her face. Wide blue eyes pleaded with him to understand that she didn't mean to hurt him. "Thank you for helping me out."

He stared at her face and noticed the healing claw marks on her cheek. "What the hell happened to you?" His gruff voice wasn't as harsh as it had been earlier. Without thinking his hand reached up to cup her cheek. He was surprised when she didn't pull back from him.

'You hit me fifty three years from now and two weeks ago.' Yeah. Like she could tell him that. "Someone hit me."

"No shit," he replied. "Who hit you? A demon?"

She shook her head. "No. It was a half demon. I never thought he'd hit me, ever," she told him. "But I guess I was wrong." She smiled softly. Her voice held no accusation.

His eyes widened. "Why did he hit you?"

"I made him mad."

"That doesn't make it okay, you know?" He jerked back suddenly. He folded his hands in the sleeves of his fire rat robe. "No one should ever hit a woman. I would never do it."

Kagome nearly laughed at the irony of him saying something like that. 'You're the one who hit me.'

"What did you do to him for it?"

"Nothing. He was out of control. He was half crazy."

"Keh! That doesn't make it okay. I can't believe you'd stand up for the guy after he hit you."

She shrugged and looked at him helplessly. "I love him."

"What?" His voice was very soft.

"I…I love him." She confessed to Inuyasha, looking shy.

"You love a half demon?" He clearly didn't believe her.

"Yeah." She nodded with a slight smile on her face.

Inuyasha looked at her for a minute and began to laugh. "That's so funny! You…" He pointed at her. "Love a half demon!" By this time he was nearly hysterical.

Kagome turned her head away from him, before she jerked back. He was such an asshole! It didn't matter where or when she met Inuyasha, he was still a jerk. "You're such a jerk!" She stomped away, but couldn't control the tear that rolled down her cheek. More followed and she stopped trying to control her crying. She tried not to cry in front of him, ever, but she couldn't help it so she ran.

He instantly stopped laughing and his nose twitched as the scent of salt water entered his nose. His nostrils flared as it became even stronger. His ears instantly pinned back. Damn, he hadn't meant to make her cry. Now he really felt like a bastard. She had been hurt before and his treatment of her made it like he had reopened the claw marks on her face. He hated when women cried. It reminded him of when his mother would cry. Sometimes she would cry because of how he was treated, other times because she missed his father, but every time, he hated it when she cried. He instantly felt as worthless as his older brother had always told him he was.

He watched her start to run from him and he could hear her sobbing. Without a thought, he took off after her. "Wait! Tomiko!" He grabbed her in his arms and wrapped them around her. He was surprised when her arms wrapped around his waist and she cried against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, Tomi." He held her, lightly rocking her back and forth.

"I know. I'm sorry I'm crying all over you. Thanks for that too."

He heard the laughter in her voice and looked down to her beaming face. Her blue eyes met with his molten gold ones and they both stared.

She stood on her tiptoes, pressing her lush body against his, and her lips lightly brushed his. She kissed him softly and licked his lips. Kagome had no idea if this happened before, but if Naraku was going to kill her in a few weeks, she had nothing to lose, right?

He gasped when he felt her tongue slid over his lips. He was stunned when her tongue entered his mouth. Her hands cupped his cheeks as she kissed him deeply and thoroughly. She was happy when he began to kiss her back.

A growl vibrated through his chest when she began to rub his ears softly. He took control of the kiss fairly quickly. His hands grabbed her hips tightly and he walked her back until her back pressed against the rough bark of a tree. He had never kissed before, but his instincts demanding him to take the bitch kicked in, and he listened to them.

His fangs nipped at her lips and tasted her blood. He nearly went wild. Her blood was so powerful. His claws dug into her hips and she jerked her mouth from his to cry out in pain.

"You're hurting me," she told him, trying to move away from him.

He growled and held her still. He ground his arousal against her stomach. His claws punctured the fabric of her clothing. "Mine." His voice was now a dark snarl. It was much more animal like than it had been earlier.

Kagome froze, she knew that voice. Her eyes regarded the magenta stripe on each of his cheeks. She calmed herself, because she knew he would react to her fear. Now, fearless blue eyes locked with the blue iris' of his red eyes. "Inuyasha."

"Mine!" He barked.

She nodded at him. "Yours." She appeased him. She tucked her head under his chin and rubbed the top of her head against it. She was clearly acting submissive toward him. She knew she couldn't let him get too far out of control, in this time, she had no Tetsusaiga to control his demon blood.

"Beautiful." The demonic voice rasped as one of his claw hands caressed her face.

She smiled at him. "You're beautiful," was her soft whisper.

He blinked as her words sank in. He pulled away from her so fast her head nearly spun. He turned with his back to her. "No, I'm not." His voice was normal again. "How did you know my name?"

"What?"

"Before, you called my name. I have never once told you my name, so how do you know it?"

"Kikyo told me."

"You're lying, but I don't care all humans lie. Especially to things like me." He moved to walk away.

"No!" She chased after him and grabbed his sleeve again. "Please. I can't tell you how I know. You're not a thing, Inuyasha and you are beautiful. I know you can tell when I'm lying. You know I'm not lying to you."

"You're weird, you know that?"

"Why? Because I think you're beautiful?"

"Tomiko?" Kikyo interrupted them.

They both looked at her guiltily. "Hi Kikyo." Inuyasha blushed.

"Kikyo." Kagome smiled.

"It was getting late and we were worried about you so I came to find you. Dinner is ready, little sister." She turned and walked back toward the village.

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha and squeezed his hand. "Bye. I'll see you around."

The two women left the half demon standing in the sunset, watching after them.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"What do you think of Inuyasha?" Kikyo looked at Kagome as they walked through the forest, early the next morning.

Kagome's blue eyes locked with Kikyo's green ones. "I think he's been hurt before." Kagome chose her words carefully. She had no idea if Onigumo had become Naraku yet, but she wanted to keep her profile as low as possible just in case. She had always assumed that Onigumo had sold his body and soul to the demons the morning that he had, for all accounts and purposes killed Inuyasha and Kikyo.

That was before she thought about him killing Tomi. The whole set up was what Kagome had come to recognize as Naraku's trademark 'I like to mind fuck you' deception. Except when it involved Inuyasha, Kikyo and Tomi, Naraku was a bit more hands on. 'Yeah.' Kagome thought. 'If hands on means he actually caused their deaths. Actually, he only killed Kikyo and Tomi, and had Kikyo seal Inuyasha.' Kagome could only guess that he liked watching former friends kill one another more than he like killing them himself.

"Hmm." Kikyo led Kagome into an open field. "I have never asked you, but now I am curious. Where did you get those claw marks?"

"A half demon hit me," she said.

"Did you kill him?"

"No. I couldn't have killed him."

"You love him?"

"Yeah."

"That's disgusting. Humans need to stay with humans and demons with demons."

Kagome was shocked that Kikyo felt that way. "But what about the half demons? There aren't that many of them."

Kikyo shrugged. "It's not my fault that their parents couldn't stay away from each other."

Kagome gaped at Kikyo. Damn, she sure wasn't very understanding when it came to love or very forgiving when it came to half demons. Kagome thought it was kind of ironic that she had such disregard for demons, because in the future, it would be a demon witch that resurrected her and demons that brought her the souls she needed to keep her alive. Kagome knew if they kept on this subject much longer, she might change history by killing Kikyo herself.

"It's not the half demon's fault either."

Kikyo ignored her. "I have a secret to tell you that only Kaede knows of."

Kagome loved secrets, especially coming from Kikyo. "What is it? I won't tell anyone."

"Tomiko, about a year ago, I met a bandit and we fell in love."

_'We fell in love. We fell in love! Oh my God! What the f...'_

"Tomiko!" Kikyo grabbed her sleeve. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Kikyo. My mother was killed by bandits. It just shocked me." Her eyes flicked away. She sighed, then looked at Kikyo. "Go on."

"Not long after we met, he was hurt. I'm not sure how. He was burned, beaten, and I think he was tossed down the side of a hill."

_Holy shit! Talk about something that was meant to be._ "Oh my!" Was the only thing Kagome could come up with. She hoped she sounded sincere.

"His name is Onigumo."

_'His name will be Naraku._' Kagome tried to look as sympathetic as possible. She guessed it worked because Kikyo bought it. "That poor man." She nearly gagged as she said that.

"Yes. He is slowly recovering, but I fear that he will never walk again. He will live the rest of his live in that cave. That will be the place he dies."

'_I wish you were right, Kikyo.'_ That's when their location dawned on Kagome. She looked around the field and then her eyes locked on the cave. She froze and closed her eyes for a second.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm telling you this."

_'I already know._' Kagome said nothing to Kikyo.

"I want you to help me nurse him, Tomiko. Today, I'm bringing you to help me with Onigumo."


	4. Not Meant For Me

A/N: This is spectacular! The response to this story has rendered me speechless, and I usually don't shut up. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 4- Not Meant For Me

A gentle breeze pulled at the hair of the two women as they walked toward the moss covered rock that hid the cave. Kagome was trying hard not to panic. Or be sick. Of all the things that had happened since she arrived here and all the things she knew would happen until she died, this was what she wanted to do the least. Of course she should have known that she would end up here, sooner or later. She had put herself in this situation by pretending to be Kikyo's sister. Kagome hoped that this would be the only time she would have to come here, but somehow she knew it wouldn't be.

She wondered what he would look like. Every time she thought of Onigumo, she imagined a mummy. A pitiful man wrapped from head to toe with a beyond rancid soul. That was how Kaede had described him. Kagome reminded herself often that Kaede had only been eight years old when this all happened. She might be remembering an eight year old girl's exaggeration of a memory as well. Kagome remembered things from when she was eight, that to a child that age seemed much worse than they actually were. Onigumo's condition could possibly be the same way.

Other than an evil, power hungry Egyptian mummy, when she heard the name Onigumo, she saw a flash of Naraku then Musou. She wondered if she would be able to see any of the monster he would become in his face. Would his voice be the same? Would he speak in riddles? Would he try to fuck with her mind even when he couldn't move? She guessed she would discover the answer to questions, she didn't even want to know the answers to soon enough.

"Tomiko?" Kikyo's voice was concerned. "Are you okay, Tomiko?"

Kagome looked up to see that in her musing, she had stopped in the field. Kikyo looked back at her, her brow creased with worry. Kagome shook her head. "Yeah. It's just that I don't have a lot of experience with the injured." Sure the lie was lame, but Kagome had to say something.

Kikyo walked back toward her with a gentle smile on her face. She grabbed Kagome's hand in her free hand and gave it a light squeeze. "It's okay, little sister. You need to start somewhere and I'll be with you the whole time."

Kagome smiled back at Kikyo. The one living here was so much more pleasant than the one  
Kagome knew from the future. Naturally, Kagome reminded herself that she'd be a pissed off, cold bitch, too if she was the walking dead. "Thank you, Kikyo."

With another reassuring smile, Kikyo led Kagome up the path and into the cave. Kagome could instantly see the fire and the few candles within. The rest of the cave was shrouded in darkness. The evil aura of the still human Onigumo, nearly choked Kagome. She couldn't believe that he was this bad as a human. She always thought there was probably something redeeming about the bandit's soul.

That was until she arrived in this cave. After just stepping foot in here, she realized that there was nothing about Onigumo that was worthy of mercy. The man in here was a merciless bastard. Kagome would be doing the world a favor, if she bashed in his skull with a large rock, but she couldn't do that.

No matter what she had been through, she had never killed another human. Until the moment the human Onigumo became the half demon, Naraku, she wouldn't kill him. Sure, he was a murderous, raping, ruthless, cruel, manipulative, and sadistic bastard, but he hadn't done anything to Kagome yet. Kagome hated herself in that moment. No matter what she knew Naraku would do to those she loved in the future, she couldn't bring herself to kill another human, especially for crimes he had yet to commit. It would be like that one Tom Cruise movie she couldn't remember the name of. The one where it was a futuristic society, and they punished people for crimes they hadn't yet committed.

"Is that you Kikyo?" The voice asked and Kagome frowned. The voice that spoke, was the same one that had haunted her nightmares for the past three years. Onigumo's voice didn't change when he became Naraku. For some reason, Kagome always thought it would have changed.

"Yes Onigumo, it's me." Kikyo pulled Kagome until they stood next to the man.  
Kagome looked down at him. To say that Kaede had been exaggerating his condition, would be an understatement. He was hardly wrapped like a mummy.

'Mummy, my ass' Kagome thought. The only way this man could be a mummy was if mummies were covered at the waist by blankets with the rest of them exposed. Sure he had some scarring, but it wasn't that bad. His face was pretty much unharmed by the fire he had been in. The face, Kagome knew all too well.

Kagome looked down at the face of the man she knew of as Naraku. The demonic markings were gone and his eyes were the color of warm chocolate instead of the color of fresh blood, but all in all, he looked the same. The only thing that was really different about him was his short hair. It kind of reminded her of Hojo's hair cut. As Naraku, his hair would be as black as his soul. As Onigumo, his hair was so dark brown that it was almost black. It was probably lighter when it was longer. Kagome wondered if he had had long hair before the fire and it had singed off or if the hair had always been short.

His brown eyes met with Kagome's blue one and he smiled at her. The lecherous smile that looked charming on Miroku's face, looked terrifying on this man's face. "Who might you be, young lass?"

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but Kikyo replied first. "This is my younger sister, Tomiko."

"I thought the little one was your only sister."

Kikyo knelt next to Onigumo. She was still holding Kagome's hand, so Kagome either had to let go or kneel next to him. Kagome held onto Kikyo's hand with a death grip. "I found Tomiko last week. She was coming from the mountains looking for our father and us. She is my half sister. Her mother died a few months ago when she was killed by bandits."

Onigumo realized that this was the reason the girl seemed so scared of him. Not that he cared, he liked to see fear in a woman's eyes when they looked at him. The only other emotion he liked to see was lust. That's what he wanted to see in Tomiko's eyes when she looked at him. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Onigumo had seen humans, demons, and everything in between, but this girl, Kikyo's sister, Tomiko was the most beautiful by far.  
It was true that Onigumo was in love with Kikyo. How could he not love someone that would nurse someone as evil as him back to health? He knew he would never walk again, that he would never leave this cave, but he knew that Kikyo would take care of him. He might love Kikyo, but he wanted her sister with every fiber of his being and this was the first time he had ever seen her.  
He watched as Kikyo looked at her younger sister. Her free hand brushed the hair from her sister's blue eyes. "It's okay, Tomi."

She looked away, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry, Kikyo."

"Whatever for?" Kikyo laughed. "You have done nothing wrong." She moved away from the two of them to gather the food she had brought for Onigumo.

Onigumo watched Tomiko's embarrassed face. He shook his head slightly to make the image of her being flushed for another, much more carnal reason leave his mind. "How old are you, Lady Tomiko?"

"Eighteen."

"Ah. Eighteen." He liked the way this one was so…so…different than the other one. Kikyo was somewhat cool, composed, and never shaken. Tomiko seemed passionate, easily rattled, and was the fire to her sister's ice. He had never seen two sister's look so much alike, yet seem so different.

"Oh no." They both looked over at Kikyo when she spoke.

"What's wrong, Kikyo?" Kagome instantly looked concerned. Maybe Onigumo was going to call the demons to him while they were in the cave.

"I forgot his water."

Kagome jumped to her feet. "I'll go get it!"

Kikyo stood up. "No. I'll go get his water. You stay here, Tomiko. I'll be back in a minute."

Kagome frowned as she left and sat back down next to Onigumo. She sat in silence for a few moments, feeling his eyes on her. Kagome felt really nervous, so she did the only thing she did when she got really nervous. She decided to talk to him. "So, uh, Onigumo. How old are you?" Her eyes shyly met his eyes with a brilliant smile on her face.

He hadn't expected her to be so friendly. It took him a minute to find his voice. He blinked a few times, before replying, "I'm twenty three."

So, Onigumo had been twenty three when he became Naraku. That meant nothing to Kagome.

"Kikyo said you're a bandit."

"I am." His eyes stared into hers, daring her to react.

She blinked. "Why?"

"Because, that's why."

She rolled her eyes. "That's mature."

His hand suddenly lashed out and clamped around her wrist. She gasped. She didn't know that Onigumo could move. "Don't mock me, you uppity little bitch!" he shouted at her.

Kagome tried to pull away from him, but he was far too strong. She couldn't purify him, because he was human. She tried again. The look on her face became more panicked and he began to laugh. She refused to cry in front of him. "Let me go," she said in a calm voice.

He smiled at the claw marks on her face. "You like it rough, huh? The pure little priestess, isn't that pure, is she? You only like those with demon blood, huh? Was he Kikyo's bastard half breed Inuyasha?"

"You're such an asshole! I don't know why someone like Kikyo saved someone like you." She hissed still trying to pull away. "How could she love you?!"

He laughed even harder when she said that. "Because she likes the way I fuck her."

Kagome drew back as much as she could with him holding her wrist. Gag me. "What?"

"I met Kikyo over a year ago. She came to a village where I was. She was helping the people after a battle. She spent the day with me. I knew she wanted me from the minute she laid those incredible green eyes on me. The feeling was the same for me. By the next morning, the priestess wasn't as pure as she had been the day before."

She shook her head. "What?"

"Are you so innocent that you don't know what we did? I…"

"Stop it! I know what you did, damn it!" Kagome couldn't believe it. The first time Kikyo had met Onigumo she had fucked him. That bit of information had shattered every thing she knew or thought about Kikyo.

That's why she had given Naraku the jewel shards. He was Onigumo and she was in love with Onigumo. Gods, that had to be so hard for her. She had decided to be with Inuyasha because Inuyasha couldn't be with Tomiko and she couldn't be with Onigumo. This was so fucked up so many levels that Kagome didn't even know where to begin to analyze it. There was no way she could make sense of this. If Naraku didn't kill her here, no amount of therapy in her time would do her any good.

He licked his lips. "Maybe when we have more time, I can get to know you as well or even better than I know your sister."

She grabbed a large rock and slammed it into the middle of his six pack abs with a growl that any demon would be proud of. He released her instantly as he gasped for air. She rolled away from him quickly, evading him as he reached out to grab her again.

"You little bitch!" He roared.

"Listen to me you worthless bastard!" She stood up. "If you ever touch me again, I will do humanity a favor and bash your fucking head into the cave floor with a rock!" She pointed her finger at him, she looked the same way she did before she told Inuyasha to sit.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, a disgusting smirk on his beautiful face. "One day you will beg me to take you."

"You're disgusting. That will be the day that Satan holds an ice skating party in Hell."

"Who the hell is Satan?"

Kagome could kick herself in the ass. 'Duh stupid! The missionaries won't get here for another twenty or so years.' She berated herself. She searched for a good come back, but was stopped when she heard something.

Both of them fell silent as they heard Kikyo's humming, near the cave entrance.

She walked into the cave with a beaming smile on her face as she carried a bucket of water. "Did you two get to know one another better?"

Kagome's fake smile was flawless. "You bet," she replied in a chipper voice. She began to gather her things.

Kikyo walked past her and knelt next to Onigumo. He took Kikyo's hand in his and brought her fingers to his mouth. He sucked one into his mouth while keeping eye contact with Kagome.

"Stop it, Onigumo." Kikyo blushed. "Where are you going, Tomi?"

"I'm going to go take a bath." Kagome smiled. 'I feel really, really dirty.'

"Be careful. I'll see you later." Kikyo turned her attention back to her lover as her sister walked from the cave.

As soon as Kagome was out of the cave, she began to run. Tears were streaming down her face as she clamped her hand over her mouth. In the middle of the field where Naraku would strike down Kikyo in Inuyasha's form in less than a month, Kagome fell to her knees, and began to vomit.

Kagome couldn't believe it. She knew what Kikyo and Onigumo were doing back in the cave. Disgust ran through her, but she felt something else too. She wiped the filth from her mouth with the back of her sleeve. Pity. She felt sorry for the Kikyo of the future. The woman finds out that the man she loved was after her for the jewel, he killed her in the form of her best friend to taint it. He actually tries to kill her several times and then she finds out that he killed her sister.

Kagome knew how she felt about Inuyasha betraying her by hitting her. She couldn't imagine what it was like to try and endure the amount of betrayal Kikyo had…or would…or whatever.

If Onigumo died, he wouldn't be able to kill Inuyasha and Kikyo. He wouldn't be able to curse Miroku's grandfather with the wind tunnel. He wouldn't be able to kill Sango's family.

Everything would be so much better. Kagome rose to her feet, determined. She would kill Onigumo. Even if it meant she got killed in the process


	5. Twilight Zone

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 5: Twilight Zone

Kagome had decided that the best way to beat Naraku was to get to know Onigumo. Every day for the two weeks she went to see him after Kikyo's morning visits. She sat with him for about an hour, just talking to him. Well, they didn't really talk. He made lewd, depraved advances toward her, and she shouted at him about how he was a pervert. She was always careful to sit far enough away from him, so that he couldn't touch her. One time she slipped up and told him she'd rather fuck Jaken than him. He asked who Jaken was and she told him not to worry about it. She hated him more and more every time she went to see him. Having someone talk to a woman the way he did, might turn on Kikyo, but it surely grossed out Kagome. She would run from the cave each day fighting the urge to vomit. Most of the time she lost.

Today, Kagome hadn't gone after Kikyo's morning visit, she waited until it was a few hours before dusk to go see him. She had been busy with Kaede and the other children. Kagome liked to play with them, but they made her miss Shippo.

"Tell me, demon, do you still seek Inuyasha's life?"

Kagome froze at the voice. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear that was Kikyo's voice.

No. It couldn't be. Could it? And if it was, who was she talking to?

Nearly against her own volition, Kagome found herself creeping toward the area she had heard the woman's, she knew it wasn't Kikyo's voice.

Kagome found herself holding her breath as she reached a small area where she could see through the brush, into the clearing. Blue eyes widened in absolute shock as both her hands clamped over her mouth to stifle her gasp.

_What the fuck!_ Kagome shook her head frantically and blinked her eyes, trying to make sense of the scene in front of her. Maybe the well had taken her to another dimension too. Or the twilight zone. She half expected that music to start playing anytime now. That had to be it. This was too unreal. Given everything else that had happened since her eighteenth birthday. Something like this made sense in a very fucked up sort of way.

Kagome knew without a shadow of a doubt that if the man with Kikyo wasn't so engrossed with putting on his own clothing, he would have noticed her.

How could Sesshomaru miss something like that otherwise?

She noticed the weariness in Kikyo's eyes as she watched the demon lord. They never left him as she began to pull leaves and twigs from her hair.

"Hn." He started toward Kikyo, his armor still on the forest floor with Tenseiga.

Kagome rolled her eyes at the sound that escaped the demon lord. He hadn't changed that much in fifty years.

Before Kikyo could move away from him, Sesshomaru jerked her against his chest and clamped his mouth over hers.

Kikyo didn't fight him, but she didn't do anything to encourage him. She stood there, her body stiff, as the demon kissed her, then drew back slightly.

Kagome's hands dropped to her sides as her mouth hung agape. She could hear him sniffing…Kikyo's neck and hair.

"I have left so much of my scent on you and in you…"

Kagome blushed as Sesshomaru spoke the dirty words into Kikyo's ear.

"That he will suffer greatly with the knowledge that his woman gave her body to his brother." He pulled away. "This will hurt him worse than if I had killed him. I look forward to watching him boil with rage and anguish. He will have to live with the knowledge of what his place in this world truly is. He will know that no demon or human could ever care for him. So, your answer is no. I no longer seek his life."

_What a dick!_ She had always known Sesshomaru was a prick, but she didn't think he was that much of an asshole.

Just how fucked up was that? Kikyo had slept with Sesshomaru, so he wouldn't kill Inuyasha and was in love with Onigumo.

Oh, the things you learned when your time portal malfunctioned and took you too far into the past!

Kagome slowly began to back away. She blinked and Sesshomaru was gone. "Where…"

A pair of large hands clamped on her shoulders and, before she had time to react, she was thrown to the dirt, at Kikyo's feet.

"Hey!" Kagome yelled at the demon. Her anger at what he did to Kikyo and to Inuyasha fueling her indignace. She really did know better. She was too pissed to care.

"Does this creature belong to you?" Cold gold eyes looked down an aristocratic nose at her.

Kagome wanted to plant her foot up his aristocratic ass.

Kikyo knelt next to Kagome, unaware of the younger woman's certainly suicidal thoughts. "Are you okay, Tomiko?" She helped her to her feet.

"I'm fine, Kikyo." She glared at Sesshomaru as she brushed off her clothing.

"You're lucky I'm feeling magnanimous, girl, or your spying and insolence would cost you your worthless life." He pulled on his armor and without another word, he was gone.

"After what you said the other day…Why?" Kagome whispered, trying to keep accusation from her voice. Kagome liked to think she would do the same thing for a friend if it came to it, but she didn't know if she could.

"You were right, Tomi. It's not the half demon's fault they exist. That beast wanted to kill Inuyasha. He also thought that I was Inuyasha's woman. That I could use to my advantage. I knew that I could give myself to him and he would leave Inuyasha alone. Lord Sesshomaru might be a monster, but he is at least honest. He will keep his word. Inuyasha has been through much in his life and will no doubt be furious, but a furious Inuyasha is better than a dead Inuyasha." Kikyo started to walk away. "I'm going to bathe. Please stop at the cave and check on Onigumo for me."

No wonder Kikyo had hated Inuyasha so much when the witch resurrected her. All the things she had gone through for him and she thought he had killed her sister and her. Kagome couldn't even fathom that type of betrayal and anger for a jewel.

Kagome watched as Kikyo walked toward the river, before she too was gone.

"I really must be in a parallel dimension." Kagome shook her head and continued on the path to the cave.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&**&^%$#!

"Hello Onigumo." She walked into the cave. The encounter leaving her shaken more than it should, she was on edge and feeling like being a bitch, she asked, "How are you feeling today?" Her voice held no hint of hatred or disgust. She was just being her normal, pure self toward Onigumo.

His brown eyes glared at her. "About as well as I can laying here on this fucking cold stone floor with a pair of legs that won't carry me."

She ignored him, sitting out of his reach. He stared at her with unveiled lust. He liked the way the little bitch would shift in discomfort when his eyes were on her. Today, however, she seemed even more rattled than usual.

"What's wrong with you?"

Kagome's eye widened as she gave him her undivided attention. "What? Nothing. Why?"

"You have to be the worst liar I have ever met in my life."

She gave him her sunniest smile. "I'm better at lying than you give me credit for Onigumo."

"I would sell my body and soul to demons just to fuck you." He was totally honest with her.

She put her hand over her heart and batted her eyes at him. "Why Onigumo, you are such a diehard romantic," she told him. _'Gag me.'_ She actually thought.

"Oh Tomiko. You're still here." Kikyo breezed into the cave, looking as calm and collected as ever.

Kagome guessed one of them had to, because she sure as hell wasn't, even Onigumo noticed that something was wrong. Then again when all you had to do was observe the people who came to see you when you were trapped in a cave and notice their reactions to everything, you probably noticed that type of stuff more the usual.

"It was no problem." Kagome stood up.

"I'm glad you've come to tend to me." She heard Onigumo purr to Kikyo and she began to walk even faster.

Time seemed to fly by when she spent time with Onigumo. She was so bored this was becoming more of a bad habit than a plan to kill him. She scowled as she walked from the cave.

Naturally the whole idea of killing someone made Kagome shudder with revulsion. Especially since the person she wanted to kill couldn't walk. That wasn't very fair. But what was fair about the man Onigumo was and the half demon he would become? Was he ever fair? No. But Kagome wasn't him. She was nothing like him. That's where her problem came from. If she was someone like Onigumo, she wouldn't give killing him a second thought.

It's wasn't like she could go after him when he became a half demon. That wasn't exactly equal footing either. She wished she knew how far from now that was. She figured it was at least a week before Inuyasha and Kikyo betrayed each other. That was probably sometime this week or next week. She wondered if Naraku told Kikyo that Inuyasha killed Onigumo. The decision for Kikyo and Inuyasha to be together had to come a few days after Tomiko died. They wouldn't have decided that night. Part of Kagome hoped that she could go with Kikyo and be with her when she found the burned out cave. Then she might have some idea of how long she had before what could be the final showdown.

With a sigh, she began to move through the waist deep grass of the field_. 'Oh shit!'_ The thought crossed her mind when she the gravity of what Onigumo had told her slammed into her. He told her he would sell his body and soul to demons, just to fuck her. Great! Now she had really messed things up.

She looked up to see Inuyasha standing in front of her. She had seen him almost everyday since they kissed. "Hello Inuyasha," she smiled at the half demon. "What's wrong?" She noticed the fury straining his visage. She knew what wrong with him. He had obviously found out about Sesshomaru and Kikyo.

"That's none of your fucking business, bitch," he hissed as he continued to glare at her.

She sighed and shook her head. She thought they had been making progress. She knew why he was upset and wished she could explain the situation to him, but if Kikyo hadn't, Kagome wouldn't.

It wasn't her secret to tell.

"You're right. Sorry for trying to be a friend." Kagome looked away. She knew with his nose, he could smell Sesshomaru on her clothes from when he had grabbed her.

"I don't have any friends." He jerked his head to the side and tore his eyes from her form as if he couldn't bare the sight of her.

It always hurt when he said that. It didn't matter which time period she was in those words cut her deep. "I'm your friend, Inuyasha."

"You say that now, but you're just like everyone else! Half is never enough! If ain't all human or all demon then it's nothing." His hand ghosted over the marks his future self had put there. "Even you, the girl in love with a half demon." His claws brushed the hair from her face. "I bet you never let him touch you. The way you act with me, you'd never let me take you. You'd let some asshole demon or worthless human bandit take you though, wouldn't you?" He whispered in her ear.

'_I'm not Kikyo'_

She jerked away from him. Her blue eyes raged at the man before her. "How dare you! You know nothing about me, if you can sit there and say those words!" Her voice cracked as she turned and ran from him. She was so mad she couldn't stand there and look at him anymore.

'_I want to go home!'_

Kagome tore blindly through the woods and ran until she collapsed at the rim of the well. She began to laugh as she realized what she had done.

'_I hate this place. I want to go home.'_

She touched the wood of the well with a reverent hand. "I want to go home." She whispered.

Darkness was caressing the land when Kagome finally decided to head back. She couldn't sleep next to the well. What if tonight was the night when Onigumo became Naraku.

Then she'd really be doomed.

Kagome sighed as she walked back into the hut she had been sharing with Kikyo and Kaede. It was so strange. It looked the same as it would in fifty years.

"Tomiko!" Kaede smiled and ran to hug her. "Did you have a nice walk?"

"Yes, I did. I learned a lot about the area."

Kikyo's flat smile was met with an equally deflated one from Kagome.

Kaede began to chatter, telling her older sisters about her day and the other children in the village, though neither listened to her. She didn't seem to mind as she peeled the vegetables for the stew Kikyo was stirring.

Dinner was eaten in relative silence. Kaede didn't quit speaking and neither Kagome or Kikyo spoke too much. They were both trapped by their own thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Tomiko." Kikyo said, after Kaede had fallen asleep.

"For what?"

"For placing this burden on you. I'm sorry you came across Sesshomaru and I. I know you are friends with Inuyasha and to come across me with his older brother must put you in an awkward place."

Kagome nodded and continued staring into the fire.

Kikyo sighed. "I'm going to sleep, Tomi. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Kikyo." Kagome listened as Kikyo settled down to sleep.

She was so confused. Everything was happening so fast and was so messed up. She just wanted to be back in her bed in Tokyo. She wanted to wake up in the morning and get ready for school. She needed to calm down. This wasn't helping anything. She knew from past experience that fighting with Inuyasha would be like fighting with a tree.

All the times she had spent away from home, she had never felt as far away from home as she did now.


	6. Always

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 6: Always

Kagome was sitting next to the well. It was a day after she and Inuyasha had fought and she was still upset. She had gone to see Onigumo, but that made her even more depressed.

Why did he have to be like that?

"You were right. I had no right to say that to you." Inuyasha stood ten feet away with his arms folded across his chest. "You have been kind to me since the first time I met you. Kikyo and I had a fight. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, Tomi."

She was stunned by his confession. It was the closest to an apology she'd ever get from the proud half demon. She trembled as she rose to her feet.

Damn her nerves! She had no reason to feel so nervous, but she did anyway.

"Tomiko, are you okay?"

Concern was apparent all over his face. His nose twitched as he stared at her. "Not really, but I'll be fine." She smiled at him weakly.

He walked closer to her. His hands gripped her wrists when she moved to back away from him. "You react to evil auras, don't you?" He moved to sniff her neck. His hair brushed her cheek and she had to bite back a moan.

"Yes." She tilted her head to the side as he continued to sniff her.

"She took you to meet Onigumo, didn't she? Why do you keep going back to see him when he makes you so sick?"

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped open and they locked with his molten gold eyes. She only saw him one time since they kissed last week and that was today.

"Kikyo. She took you to meet Onigumo, didn't she?" Inuyasha knew the answer to that. She smelled just like the worthless bastard. He could smell the left over scent of Tomiko's fear too. Besides, Inuyasha had watched Tomiko emerge from the cave.

"You never answered me, you know? Did Kikyo take you to meet the love of her life?" The last question held sarcasm. The tone of his voice made her think of how a friend would talk about another friend's crush, if they didn't approve.

"You know Onigumo?"

"Keh!" He tossed his hair over his shoulder. "Who do you think carried the bastard to that fucking cave? You think Kikyo, did it? Not likely." He informed her.

"You carried Onigumo to the cave?"

"Damn, woman, are you dense or something? I just told you that, didn't I?" He looked just as impatient as he always had been. Inuyasha had no tolerance for stupid people or for those he had to explain things to.

Kagome fought the urge to yell at him to sit, but remembered that he didn't have the rosary on. Telling him to sit now, would offend him. He would probably never talk to her again. "I'm sorry. I was just surprised that someone like you would save something like that."

Gold eyes regarded the priestess. He folded his arms across his chest. "Believe me, I wanted to kill him, but Kikyo started crying, begging me to help her and…" He shrugged and looked bashful. "Kikyo is the only friend I have and I couldn't let the man she loved lay there to die, no matter how I felt about him. I'm not the monster, he is."

'_Truer words have never been spoken' _Kagome thought. Her eyes narrowed as a question popped into her head. "How did you know that Kikyo took me to see Onigumo?"

"You mean besides the fact that I could smell him on you?"

She nodded.

"You're the type of priestess that reacts to evil auras. You're so pure that evil makes you physically ill. You need to learn how to repress it or it will render you helpless."

Kagome blinked. "How do you know that?"

An arrogant smirk graced his features. "My mother was a priestess."

Kagome gasped, her head snapping back in shock. She had no idea that he had spiritual powers. It made sense though. Why else would he get so sick when fighting some demons when Kilala, Shippo, and Koga were unaffected? That's why one the nights of the new moon, nothing could find him. It's not because he was so damn good at hiding, like he led everyone to believe. It's because he could erect a spiritual barrier. Nothing demonic would be able to pass it. He could detect demonic auras on his human nights because his spiritual powers reacted to them.

Over the past three years, Kagome had heard talk about of a handful of half demon children that were the offspring of a powerful demon lord and a powerful priestess. Most of them were killed at birth, because they were generally thought to be stronger than both their parents. They were dangerous to demons because they could use their demonic strength and spiritual powers in a fight, even if they were human, their spiritual powers were something to be wary of. To humans, it was obviously the demon blood they feared. The stronger the demon the more they wanted it dead, so it would make sense they would want the so called spiritual half demons dead. In Inuyasha's case, if he used the backlash wave and infused it with his spiritual power, it would destroy the demon he happened to be fighting.

She wondered why he had never used it before. Was it that he couldn't fully tap into the power he had inherited from his mother? That had to be it. Inuyasha couldn't tap into his spiritual power from his mother. Maybe he did most of the stuff without thinking about it. It was entirely possible. Kagome used her powers a lot without giving it a thought.

She couldn't believe that Inuyasha had never told them. He could have used his powers to help them on the night of the new moon. Of course he might not want people to know his secret. Maybe he was searching for a way to use his powers to surprise Naraku.

"That's why I knew what was wrong with you. I react to Onigumo the same way you do."

Kagome's head snapped up to look at him. "You probably have it much worse than me," she said.

"What do you mean?" He looked at her with his head cocked to the side.

"I'm human. My sense of smell isn't as good as your sense of smell. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that your superior sense of smell would make being around people like Onigumo so much worse for you than for me."

"You might be right." He concluded. He had never thought of it like that, but now that he did he knew that she was right.

Something was nagging at Kagome as she sat in the grass. If Inuyasha had carried Onigumo to the cave, did they know each other before he was injured? "Did you know Onigumo before?"

Inuyasha looked at her and sat next to her. "Yeah. What of it?"

"I was just wondering."

"Onigumo is a beast. If Kikyo had begged me not to, I would have killed him by now."

Kagome stared across the field. Her blues eyes reflecting the calm scene before her. Inuyasha hated Onigumo enough to kill him, but he wouldn't kill Onigumo because he was being loyal to his best friend. She had asked him not to, so he didn't.

"I didn't know that humans could have black souls until I met him. A week before he got hurt, he tried to cut my ears off. I beat the shit out of him, but Kikyo stopped me before I could kill him. From then on, I decided, I don't care what he says or does to me, but when the moment comes that Kikyo wants me to kill him, I will do it. And I will enjoy it." There was no dark hatred in his voice. He spoke in a matter of fact tone. His gold eye watched the water too.

"You have such a good soul," she said absently.

"Keh!" He looked at her and blushed. "N…no…I don't."

She laughed at him and looked at him with a smile. "Of course not. You're rotten to the core, Inuyasha."

A devilish smirk that Kagome had never seen before graced his lips when he looked at her. Before Kagome knew what was happening, she was pinned on her back with Inuyasha's weight pressing her into the soft grass. His mouth closed over hers and he kissed her deeply. His tongue sliding into her mouth and tangling with hers. There was something about this girl that made it nearly impossible to control himself around her. His hips began to press into her. She raised her hips to meet his and heard him groan.

"What is it about you, Tomi?" He pressed open mouth kisses on her throat.

Her hands buried in his long white hair. "I give up." She tilted her head to the side to give him better access to her soft throat.

"You're so beautiful and you smell so fucking good." His voice was a growl of desire.

"Do you want me?" Kagome didn't care what this did to the future. If she died in less than a month, she would never have this chance again. She had wanted Inuyasha for so long, she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass.

"Huh?" He lifted his head and their eyes locked. "What did you just say?"

Her blue eyes were hazy with lust, but her face burned in embarrassment. "Do you want to take me?"

"Yes." He nodded at her, looking as nervous as she felt. "You want to be mine?"

She smiled as she pulled his head down to hers. His lips were a breath away when she whispered. "I want to be all yours."

His eyes were half lidded as they looked at her full lips. They glanced up to look into her eyes. The sincerity and trust in them, terrified the half demon. She had been hurt before. What if he hurt her? What if he accidentally killed her? He would never be able to forgive himself for that.

She was the most incredible, loving person he had ever met and he'd be damned if he hurt her. He rolled away from her, lying on his back, next to her.

She sat up suddenly. "What's wrong?" She looked down at his strained face. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut as he nearly panted for air. She watched him dig his claws into the soft ground.

A few soft whimpers escaped his throat before he was ready to speak. "I can't, Tomi. I'm sorry."

Kagome stared at him in shock. Why couldn't he? What was wrong with her? Then it came to her. It had nothing to do with what was wrong with her. It was him. He was afraid of hurting her.

"Wha…What are you doing?" He stuttered as she rolled on top of him.

Her eyes sparkled with mischief and lust as she smiled down at him. "If you can't, then I can." She was straddling him with one knee on each side of his hips. With a boldness Kagome had never experienced, she began to untie the red sash around his waist. Her hands splayed over his flat stomach, then over his chest, and down his sides, as she pushed his fire rat robe open to reveal his cream colored undershirt. Once she had pushed the fire rat from him, she lowered her body against his. Her still covered breasts rubbed from his stomach to his chest where they pressed into him. Her mouth closed over his and she easily dominated the kiss.

He turned his head away and she moved her lips to his neck. His arms laid limply at his sides. He couldn't hold back his demon blood any more. Both his human side and his demon side wanted to claim her. To make her his and why not? The hot and horny priestess was rubbing her curvy body against him. Her scent drove him wild when she wasn't excited and now that she was, he could barely keep himself in check. He had to get away from her. He was afraid that if he touched her, he'd rip the clothing from her, so he stayed still. He needed to make her understand that he could really hurt her if he lost control. "Stop Tomi."

"Why?"

"Because I might hurt you."

"You won't." She was grinding against him.

"I could." He started to pant when she started to rub her hand against his groin. "Think about what happened that other day. I lost control and hurt you."

"You didn't then and you won't now. I fully trust you. You won't hurt me. Please Inuyasha. I have never wanted this with anyone." Kagome might be lying about a lot, but she wasn't lying about that. She had never wanted anyone, but Inuyasha. And she wanted him now.

Kagome slid her other hand under his cream colored undershirt and touched the hot skin of his stomach.

A growl was torn from his lips as his clawed hands tore Kagome's shirt from her back. Her front was still covered as his hands moved over the exposed silky skin of her back. They burrowed in her short black hair. They gripped her head firmly. It didn't hurt, but he was making sure that she couldn't get away. "Once I do this, there will be no going back," his voice said as his claws massaged her scalp.

"I don't care. I want this. I want you." She looked down into his eyes.

Kagome could feel his hot breath against the place where her right shoulder met her neck. His tongue lapped at that spot four times in long, slow licks. His hands tilted her head to the side a bit. His fangs grazed the flesh, before he sank them into her skin, marking her as his mate. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream as she closed her eyes in bliss. What coursed through her body wasn't orgasm, but it sure was close. She could hear Inuyasha's grunts and growls of pleasure as he swallowed her powerful blood. His tongue caressed her skin again as he healed the wounds. He watched in satisfaction as a magenta pentagram with a tiny blue crescent moon on her skin in the middle of the bite mark. "Mine. My beautiful mate, Tomi." His head rested against the ground as his hands released her head and ran through her hair.

She smiled at him. "Mine. My beautiful mate, Inuyasha." She snuggled against his chest.

The heat and lust of before was gone. Having been fulfilled in a different way. He knew he had taken too much of her blood and she would be tired. He held his mate against him. He had wanted to push her away, but she wouldn't let him. For that he was glad.

Kagome knew that this wasn't supposed to happen. Inuyasha wasn't supposed to claim Tomi as his mate. She wondered if she would even get to see what if any changes this made in the future.

While the two mates held one another in the falling darkness the scent of smoke invaded their nostrils. Both stayed in place, thinking it was coming from the village. By now Kikyo was back in the village, preparing dinner, done with her meeting with Onigumo.

It never crossed the minds of Kagome or Inuyasha that the smoke was coming from the raging fire in Onigumo's cave.


	7. Haunted

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories. The same applies to the song "Heart Without a Home"

Chapter 7- Haunted

*Dream Sequence*

_"You changed your destiny, Kagome." Kikyo looked at her while Kagome played with her pink bedspread._

Her head snapped up as she looked at the other woman. Kikyo smiled absently as she rubbed the Buuyo's stomach. "I changed it? How?" Kagome hoped it was for the better, but she felt that she wasn't going to like what had changed.

Kikyo's eyes looked at her with sympathy. Seeing that look coming from a dead woman, Kagome instantly grew terrified. Kikyo licked her lips and looked across the room at Kagome's computer. "What is that?" She nodded at it.

Kagome's eyes narrowed. Kikyo was trying to change the subject! She had told Kagome that she had changed the past, but ignored her when she wanted to know how. "Kikyo! What happened? How did my destiny change? He's still going to kill me, isn't he?" Kagome grabbed her arm.

Kikyo's eyes burned into hers. "That's not all he's going to do to you."

Her head snapped back as if she had been slapped. "What?"

"The first time you were there, in your first life, you avoided Onigumo like he was a plague. When I mentioned him to you, you made up some excuse about why you couldn't go see him. This time you met him, talked to him, and somewhat got to know him. You fought with him, flirted with him…"

"I didn't mean to flirt with him! It just kind of came out." Kagome defended herself.

"I know. The thing is that Onigumo didn't. I think you became an obsession to him. He wanted you as much as he still wants to destroy Inuyasha," Kikyo informed her.

Kagome nearly panicked, grabbing Kikyo's arm. "What happens? You have to tell me!"

Kikyo shook her head. "No, I don't. I am helping you by guiding you. I refuse to tell you what will happen. You are getting another chance to live. It's not fair to help you anymore. I came to warn you. Do not be foolish, Kagome. All I can tell you is to not underestimate Naraku when he is in his first days. Just because he is nowhere near the power he is now, doesn't mean that he had no power. Even as a human man, Onigumo was stronger than you. Naraku is perhaps even more dangerous than he is now, in that time, because he is just learning to control his new powers."

Kagome shook her head. This wasn't fair! How could she change the past if she didn't know what would happen to her? A thought suddenly hit her. Of course! It was so simple! "What if I go kill him now? What if I kill him before he gets the chance to change into Naraku?" She asked Kikyo.

Kikyo looked at Kagome sadly. "I'm sorry, Kagome. That won't work."

"Why not? Why won't it work, Kikyo?"

Kikyo walked to the door and opened it. At first, Kagome didn't think she would answer. Then she did and it struck Kagome like lightning. "It won't work because the man Onigumo is dead and the half demon Naraku has already been born." Kikyo closed the door behind her as she walked from the room.

Suddenly the scene changed and Kagome found herself in the middle of the field near Onigumo's cave. It was well into the night. She was wearing her priestess habit, instead of her normal clothes that she had been wearing seconds before.

She knew she was being watched and ran. She tore through the field into the forest, hearing Naraku's mocking laughter as he toyed with her. She didn't even know where she was going, but she had to get away from Naraku.

Her lungs burned as she pushed herself beyond a level she would have thought possible. Her lungs couldn't get enough air as she continued. Her feet hurt and she had scratches from the tree branches she had run through.

She gave a slight pause as she came to a fork in the trail. Her eyes glanced left then right. Going with her gut instinct, she went left. She couldn't hear him behind her anymore and turned to look over her shoulder.

Nothing.

She had lost him.

Bam! She hit the tree so hard, she rebounded off of it and slammed into the forest floor. A soft whimper escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. "Damn, that hurt."

She froze when she heard the chuckling off to her left. She rolled her head to the side to see the being cloaked in a white baboon pelt emerge from the forest. She watched as he glided toward her. Kagome leapt to her feet prepared to run.

She hadn't even taken a step when his arm wrapped around her waist from behind. "You…You, Kikyo's sister, Tomi, are the way I will make both of them suffer. The half demon bastard and that lying whore of a priestess will be so easy to destroy, after your death." He lifted his other clawed hand to her throat. He rested his hand on the rapidly throbbing artery in her neck.

Tears poured down her face. "Please…don't," she whimpered.

"What a pity, Tomi. You really were quite beautiful." His voice whispered as his claws slashed across her throat.

Kagome's eyes glanced down to see the rush of hot, red blood staining the white top, before her vision became dark, and her breathing stopped. 

*End Dream*

Kagome jerked awake…And nearly fell out of a tree. 'A tree? What on earth was she doing in a tree?'

"Whoa. Are you okay, Tomi?" Inuyasha's concerned voice asked her as his cheek rested against the side of her short black locks. His arms tightened their hold around her waist when he felt her jolt. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, if he dropped his mate from the tree. She had jolted, startling him, and nearly causing him to loosen his grasp on her enough to cause him to drop her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just had a bad dream." She looked around to get her bearings. She was high in the sacred tree. Her legs were straddling a large branch as were his. She was leaning on him with her back against his hard chest. Her head on his left shoulder as she looked to the sky through the leaves of the tree. The pink and gray soft tones of dawn were upon them. It was dawn. Dawn! What had happened last night? Why didn't she remember? How and why were they in a tree?

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he sensed her moods shifting. Another advantage or disadvantage, depending on how you'd look at it, to being a half demon with spiritual powers was his ability to sense the moods of those close to him. He had always been able to do it to humans and demons since he was very small. That was part of the reason he liked to be alone. Without any formal training that humans received, he couldn't control his ability to feel the powers, and was often overwhelmed by them. Another reason he stayed alone was because of his powers. With his limited ability, he could sense the disgust and hatred of both humans and demons when they looked at him. The one thing he had learned about his powers were how to shield them. That way no one knew that he was such a rare creature. His kind of half demon were so rare, in fact, he didn't know if there were more, or if he was the only one.

He glanced down at the small human priestess in his arms. He knew his connection to her was even more powerful because she was his mate. His mate. He still couldn't believe it. She was the only person that had never judged him. She wasn't disgusted by him and she didn't hate him. She cared for him a lot.

'She cared for me enough to jump on me.' He thought. He loved how she treated him just like he was a normal person. That's why he loved her so much. The realization, caused him to slam the back of his head into the tree. He didn't even flinch as he sat with his eyes wide open.

Kagome, however, did flinch when she heard the back of his head collide with the tree. "Are you okay?" Her voice was concerned.

He didn't answer. He had never loved anyone, except for his mother and Kikyo, and those were two different types of love than the one he held for the girl in his arms. His mother was, well, his mother, and Kikyo, he loved like a friend, but Tomi…Tomi was his mate. They would always be together. She was his and he was hers. He loved her. The thought of not having her with him, took his breath away. He had only known her for three weeks, but she was the most important thing in the world to him. The idea that someone had this much power over him, terrified him, but he knew that Tomi would never hurt him.

He was shocked when her blindly groping hand reached up to touch his cheek. "Inuyasha, are you okay?" Her voice was even more worried.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good. I thought you might have hurt yourself."

"Keh!" He scoffed. "Like something like that could hurt me."

They both sat in silence in the mild, mid spring morning. Just being together made them happy. Kagome tried to keep her mind in check as he held her. She knew that he could feel her aura shifting as her emotions did. She sighed and relaxed against his chest. He lowered his chin to rest on top of her head. His right hand reached up to stroke the, no…his mark, on her neck.

She broke the silence when she began to sing to him. The song just popped into her head. Her voice was beautiful, just like her as it was carried on the wind. "I'll be a new sensation, one you never had before. I got a feeling if I gave you some, you'd probably want some more. Did you know that baby, you're the bluebird in my sky?" She sang to him. "I only wanna make you happy cause I love to see you fly. And if you feel lonely, you don't have to anymore." She reached up, touched the hand on her throat, and squeezed his hand.

"If you're a heart without a home, a rebel without a cause. If you feel as though you're always stranded on the shore. Like a thief in the night, let me steal your heart away. Baby if a reason's, what you're looking for. I'll be yours. I'll be yours."

He sat in shock. He couldn't believe that she had just sang a song like that to him. He had listened to every word and knew she meant it. He pulled his hand from under hers and wrapped both arms around her waist as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "Tomi?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Kagome gasped and her eyes filled with tears. She had always wanted Inuyasha to say those words to her. "I love you too." She knew he could feel the tears on his cheek, but didn't care. "What happened last night after you marked me?"

She felt his face grow hot with his blush. "I took too much of your blood and you fell asleep."

"Oh. Why didn't you take me back to the village?" She regretted it as soon as she said it. She knew how Inuyasha would take it. She had known him for three years and knew him well enough to know that he would take it the wrong way.

He didn't fail her. His eyes narrowed. "What? Did you want me to take you back to the village? You didn't want to spend the night in my arms?"

She sighed. "Don't be like that?"

"Like what?! You're the one who said…"

"I didn't say anything! You said it, not me. I was just curious. Of course I wanted to spend last night in your arms. Don't you remember me crawling all over you?" Her voice was somewhat seductive.

He felt his face get so hot, he thought it might catch on fire. "I wanted you to stay with me on our first night as mates." He blurted. "Sorry I tore your shirt. I gave you my robe to wear though." Kagome looked down at his fire rat robe. She hadn't even noticed that she was wearing it.

Both froze as the horrified scream sliced through the once again peaceful morning. "Did you…" She started.

"ONIGUMO!!!" The woman wailed.

"Kikyo."

"That was Kikyo." They both said at the same time. "Prepare yourself."

She remembered the first time he had said those words to her. He had been trying to kill her, just after she freed him from the tree. "For what?" She felt him lift her leg over the tree branch, like he was going to throw her off.

He flung his left leg over the tree and leapt the twenty feet to the forest floor. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her waist, she couldn't breath. He released her, but he swept her into his arms so fast, she didn't have time to think. He sped toward the direction of Kikyo's screams.

Neither one even sensed the presence that had been watching them since before the girl woke up as it stepped from it's hiding spot.

Hate filled cold eyes the color of blood soaked dirt, had watched Inuyasha and his mate as she slept in his arms. He had heard every word they spoke to each other. Their vows of love disgusted him. When he heard Kikyo's screams, a smirk graced his lips. 'This should prove entertaining.' He thought as he followed them to watch.

The being's identity was hidden from prying eyes…

Hidden under the pelt of a white baboon.

*At the Cave…*

Inuyasha moved as fast as he could toward Kikyo. What if something happened to her? What if she had been attacked? He totally forgot that she had screamed Onigumo's name. His ears pinned back as they neared Onigumo's cave. The scent of smoke mixed with the salty scent of Kikyo's tears. He could hear her agonized sobbing from the cave.

Kagome was strangely calm as they hurried to Kikyo. She knew what had happened. Onigumo was no more. Now only Naraku existed. She had known that since she had the dream. The second part, she knew, wasn't a dream. The second part was a memory of her past life. She remembered how Naraku had killed her.

The Kikyo in her dream was the one that was undead. Kagome knew her actions here were already changing the future. Kikyo knew what would happen to Kagome, but she wouldn't tell her. Kagome understood though. She thought back to the whole time paradox theory.

If Kagome hadn't hated Onigumo/Naraku before, she did once she saw the sight of Kikyo. The powerful, somewhat cold priestess was sitting in the cave. She sat near the place where Onigumo's body had been. The only thing that hinted the man had ever been there, was the human shaped burn mark on the ground. Kikyo rocked back and forth while sobbing hysterically.

Kagome knew that Inuyasha wasn't very good with tears, so she squirmed from his arms and ran into the cave. "Kikyo!"

She looked up at the girl she thought was her sister, as she fell to her knees in front of her. "He's dead!" She wailed throwing herself into her arms. "He's dead, Tomi!"

Kagome held Kikyo and rocked her back and forth. Her hand smoothed over her hair as she held her. Tears burned in Kagome's eyes and trailed down her cheeks. This was all her fault! She had known that this would happen. She hadn't killed Onigumo, because Kikyo loved him, and she had grown to love Kikyo like a sister over the past three weeks. She hadn't killed the vile bandit, because Kikyo loved him, and it would hurt her if he died. Duh! He was going to make her think that he was dead anyway.

Kagome looked over when she felt the person standing next to her. Inuyasha knelt next to Kagome. Tears rolling from his gold eyes. He had hated Onigumo. The fucker had tried to cut of his ears, but to see his friend in such pain, hurt him greatly. His ears were pinned back and his face was sad. He whimpered softly, drawing Kikyo's attention from Kagome and to him.

Kikyo threw herself into her best friend's arms. Inuyasha held her as she cried. Kagome leaned against Kikyo's back and wrapped her arms around her. The three of them sat like that for about an hour in the burned out remains of Onigumo's cave.

"Come Kikyo. Lets go back to the village." Inuyasha coaxed her. Her only response was to wrap her legs around his waist and wrap her arms around his neck tighter. Inuyasha stood up with Kikyo in his arms. "Come on, Tomi." He called from the entrance to the cave.

Kagome ran to him. She was surprised when he grabbed her right hand with his left one. His right arm still around Kikyo's back. Kikyo continued to sob against Inuyasha as they moved back to the village. There was nothing he could do for Onigumo now.

*Later that Night…*

"It's all my fault." Kikyo looked at Kagome as they sat inside the hut. Kaede was playing with the other children while Inuyasha sat on the roof of the hut.

Kagome frowned. "How is it your fault? Did you light the fire?"

"We had a fight last night, before the fire."

'No. I thought you had it after the fire.' Kagome tilted her head to the side. "I'm sorry. It's always hard to know the last words you said to a loved one were said in anger." Kagome thought of her parents when she said this. She had been six when her mom and dad had gotten in a fight. He had been having an affair with a Korean woman, and she found out about it. Needless to say, Kagome's mom told him to go run off to his whore and she hoped he didn't come back. He didn't. The plane had blown up over the water.

"He wanted to use the jewel to make himself better and I told him no. As much as I love Onigumo, his soul was so dark that it would taint the jewel, even if a pure wish was made on it for him." Kikyo's voice shook as she spoke.

"Did you tell him that?"

Kikyo nodded and her face crumpled. "He…he…called me a bitch. And a selfish whore. He told me to get the fuck out of the cave. He didn't want me there, so I left. Before I left, I called him an unreasonable asshole. We had never fought like that before and he had never said anything like that to me ever. I also told him that a wish for someone as pure as Inuyasha would purify it."

'Oh, for the love of…' Kagome couldn't believe that Kikyo would tell Onigumo something like that. How could she be so stupid? Of course she had yelled plenty of things at people in anger that she would rather them not know.

"I'm sorry, Kikyo." Kagome knew that things were going to be a lot harder for Kikyo from here on out.

"Demons! Demons are attacking!"

Instantly, the two women were on their feet, grabbing their bows and arrows. They ran from the hut and stared at the huge mass of demons flying toward the village. Kagome ripped the jewel from Kikyo and ran toward the demons.

"Tomi?"

"What the hell are you doing, Tomi?" Inuyasha yelled.

"They want the jewel! We can't fight them in the village! There won't be one left!"

They followed Kagome to a clearing and the battle began. They fought the numerous demons. "I've never seen anything like this before." Kikyo shot another arrow.

"Iron reaver, soul stealer! There's so fucking many of them." Inuyasha slashed through another demon.

Kagome had seen this before. Several times. Naraku had to be behind this. Naturally he wouldn't be anywhere close.

"Kaede!" Kikyo spun and shot an arrow at the demon preparing to attack the girl. When the purifying arrow hit the demon, it exploded into pieces, just like several demons before had. But this time, a piece of the demon flew into Kaede's eye.

Blood poured from the girl's eye socket as her hand clamped over it. Kikyo glanced back at her sister as she continued to fight. Inuyasha attacked a demon and watched as a human healer ran to them. "Don't worry about her, Lady Kikyo. I will see to her aide." The man lifted Kaede into his arms and ran.

Kagome spun to her right to shoot a demon with an arrow. Dead on! Damn she was good! She gaped and lowered her bow as she regarded the white baboon pointing the demons in their direction. He looked down at her, in a leering manner.

She reached to grab another arrow. When she looked back up, he was gone. Kagome had just missed another chance to kill him.

The fight continued the rest of the day. Dusk was rapidly approaching when the last demon fell. Kikyo instantly ran to check on Kaede, after getting the jewel back. Inuyasha glanced up at the sky warily, before he looked at his exhausted mate.

Kagome threw herself in his arms and he hugged her back. He pulled back a little and pressed his lips to hers. They broke the kiss and he lifted her into his arms and he sped her back to the hut she lived in with Kikyo and Kaede. He picked a small flower and tucked it behind her ear. His hands cupped her cheeks and he stared into his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She smiled.

"I need you to do something for me, Tomi." He was serious.

Her hands covered his. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

"Tonight, I have to leave. I'll be back at dawn. You'll be safe in the hut. Nothing will be able to get in to get you. Stay in here, Tomi. There is a lot of evil out lurking during the new moon. Stay here and stay safe."

Oh. Tonight was the night of the new moon. That's why he's acting so uneasy. Well, so much more uneasy than he should be acting.

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah. I promise that I'll stay here."

"You better keep that promise, Tomi." His voice was gruff as he looked at her one last time, before running off.

Inuyasha had never been big on words about his feelings. But things might have been different if he had known one thing. That those would be the last words he said to Tomi.


	8. Seek and Destroy

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 8- Seek and Destroy

The being cloaked in the white baboon pelt quaked with rage as he watched Inuyasha leave Tomi with Kikyo and Kaede, before rushing off for the night. His eyes landed on Tomi and they narrowed even more.

How dare that little bitch chose that bastard half demon over him? Both of them actually chose Inuyasha over him. Tomi had when she allowed that fucking half breed to mark her as his mate and Kikyo had when she wouldn't give him the jewel. She had told him that if she used if on him, it would be tainted because his human soul was so dark, but if she used it on Inuyasha to make him human, it would purify it.

He would have his revenge on them all. First he would get his revenge on that sad excuse of a priestess, the little tease, Tomi. Killing her would nearly destroy the other two. Kikyo would be shattered with the loss of her beloved little sister dying so soon after the death of her beloved Onigumo. It would be even more delicious if he could make Kikyo believe that Inuyasha had been the one to start the fire that had supposedly killed Onigumo and then raped and murdered her little sister.

Yes. And after that he would strike down Inuyasha. No, he would watch in satisfaction as Kikyo killed her best friend. Then, he would smile when he told her that, he, Naraku was responsible for killing Tomi. He wanted to watch as Kikyo killed herself. The guilt would surely overwhelm her. Before she died he would reveal who he truly was, then laugh in her face as she recognized him as her former lover.

That worthless half demon, Inuyasha had taken the two women that he had wanted as his own. And the two human bitches that had chosen the half demon over him. Kikyo's betrayal had been the final straw. When she told him that bullshit excuse about the jewel, if he had been able to stand, he would have beat Kikyo for that. She left after he screamed at her to leave.

Then he found out from the spider demon, that Inuyasha had claimed Tomi as his mate, but had yet to claim her body. That stupid half breed! Why wouldn't he take his own mate? Oh well, Inuyasha's loss would be his gain.

The power that he now had was incredible! It would be easy to crush the three of them. Then with the jewel he would grow even more powerful! The world would be his. Who knows? Maybe after he fucked Tomi, he would keep her.

She liked the rough stuff. Why else would she go after those fucking half demons?

He watched the sky grow darker and could feel the evil creeping into the moonless night. He threw back his head and laughed!

The world would be his in just a few days. He would be unstoppable!

Nothing stood in his way once he got rid of Tomi, Inuyasha, and Kikyo.

He waited for several hours, taking the time to plot, heading the village just before the sky began to lighten with the grayness of the predawn.

In the form of Inuyasha.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

Kagome had been trying to sleep for the last few hours. It was only four or so hours since sunset, but the fighting had taken a lot out of her. She wondered where Inuyasha had gone. She knew he would be back in the morning.

Kaede was blind in her injured eye. Her eye would never be able to see again. Finally, Kagome and Kikyo had been able to help the girl fall asleep. Kikyo had told Kagome to go to sleep, so she could be alone.

She rolled on to her side to stare at the wall. As if the wall would answer any of the rhetorical questions raging through her mind. She lifted her hand to her neck. Why did he leave his mark on her? This wasn't supposed to happen. Kagome knew that Inuyasha hadn't marked Tomi, but in this time he had. How much would that change in the future? She knew he wouldn't become human the way things were now.

Changing the past would irrevocably change the future. She knew that. That was why she was so careful when she traveled with Inuyasha and the others. If she killed Naraku here, her friends wouldn't suffer the way they had. Sango's family wouldn't be killed for the shards of that damn jewel. Miroku wouldn't have his wind tunnel. His father and possibly grandfather would still be alive. Shippo's parents could still be alive. Kagome would become a normal high school student again. Would she forget everything if she killed Naraku here? If she didn't, would she be able to get back to where she had come from, if she survived Naraku.

Kagome froze as she heard the person outside.

"Who is it?" Kikyo's voice broke Kagome out of her musing.

"It's me, Kikyo," Inuyasha said.

Kagome frowned. Why would Inuyasha be here now? It was the night of the new moon. He had run off to keep anyone from finding out about it. Kagome was still mad that he hadn't trusted her enough to tell her, but he would.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Kikyo's voice was wary. Kaede had just fallen asleep and Kikyo was still mourning Onigumo's fiery death.

"No. I was just wondering if you could come talk to me."

Kagome sat up, her mouth gaping. That wasn't Inuyasha! Inuyasha never just walked around on the night of the new moon for the hell of it. Plus, with as close as he and Kikyo were, he would just come in the hut, if he wanted to talk to her.

"Not now, Inuyasha. Kaede just fell asleep and I just want to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Meet me at the sacred tree at dawn tomorrow." He demanded.

"Okay," Kikyo replied. "He is so impatient, but it can not be helped. Inuyasha? Inuyasha?" Kagome listened as Kikyo opened the doors to the shrine. Kagome heard them click closed a second later.

That hadn't been Inuyasha. It had been Naraku! Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows. She knew she had promised Inuyasha that she would stay here and be safe, but Naraku needed to die. She remembered that Kikyo had told her in her dream, not to underestimate Naraku as he was now.

"I need to leave, Kikyo. I'm sorry. I need to go talk to Inuyasha. Goodbye!" She turned and continued after Naraku's faint trail of evil.

"Wait! Tomi! Be careful! A lot of evil lurks on the moonless night."

'If you only knew' She thought, running after Naraku.

She finally saw the being that looked like Inuyasha, but she knew it wasn't him. She glanced up at where the moon should be. "Onigumo!" She pointed her arrow at him.

The demon clad as Inuyasha whirled to face Kagome. "Well, Tomiko, I dare say you found me out." He called her by the name she had given them.

It disturbed Kagome to hear that voice coming from Inuyasha's mouth. "I won't let you do this to them."

"And, pray tell, what am I doing and to whom, little priestess?"

"You know what I'm talking about mother fucker." She accused.

She watched the evil smirk contort Inuyasha's face. "My, my, for a priestess, you sure do have a mouth like a bandit," he said smoothly.

"Leave Kikyo and Inuyasha alone."

He laughed. "Why would I do that? They are keeping me from what I most desire."

"I won't let you have the jewel."

He walked closer to her, but stopped and held up his hands when Kagome pulled back the string of the bow. "What makes you think it is the jewel I most desire? It is true that I want the jewel, but what I truly want is Kikyo's dear half sister and Inuyasha's mate. Neither one would give you to me without a fight, Tomiko. You have a choice. If you come with me, I will forget the jewel and we will be together. If not, then they will die, I will take the jewel, but you will be first. You made me very…" he paused, looking for a word. "frustrated, Tomi. They way you would come into the cave and flirt with me, tease me, and taunt me. You knew I wanted you, but you kept doing it."

"You took it the wrong way."

He laughed. "That doesn't matter. I could have dealt with Kikyo's betrayal or you choosing Inuyasha over me, but when you both chose him on the same day, it drove me to this."

Kagome knew better than to taunt him, but she guessed she had been hanging out with Inuyasha for too long. She cocked her head and looked at the perverse version of Inuyasha in front of her. "You were pissed at me and Kikyo, so you made yourself look like Inuyasha?"

He dropped the glamour instantly. His clothing still looked like the red fire rat of Inuyasha, but before her the figure looked like a cross between the Onigumo she had gotten to know and the Naraku of the future. His pitch black hair hung to his shoulders and his eyes were now lined with thick purple lines. The eyes held Kagome in an enthralled trance. They were not quite the blood red of what they would be, but not the chocolate brown of Onigumo's. They were somewhere in the middle. "I'm glad you like what you see. It will make it much easier when I take you."

Kagome froze. Her? This whole thing was about her? All this time she had thought he wanted Kikyo and the jewel. "I'd rather die than be with you." She let the arrow fly and watched him dodge it.

"You had your chance to spare them. Now I will destroy your sister and your lover, bitch. You will pay for not taking my offer. You will pay and then they will pay." He smiled at the scent of her fear. "I will give you a head start if you run now."

Kagome didn't need a written invitation for that one as she turned and ran. This was all her fault! He wanted Tomiko and Kikyo. He had destroyed them because she had turned him down. Of course Kagome didn't really believe him. Everything bad that had happened to Inuyasha, Kikyo, Kaede, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Koga, and countless others was Kagome's fault. If she had killed him or taken his deal, none of this would have happened.

She tore through the field into the forest, hearing the mocking laughter as he toyed with her. She didn't even know where she was going, but she had to get away from Naraku. This was just like the way she had died in her past life. The difference was that if she was caught now, she would be raped. That motivated Kagome to run even more. Maybe she would get lucky and run off a cliff or something.

Her lungs burned as she pushed herself beyond a level she would have thought possible. She couldn't get enough air as she continued. Her feet hurt and she had scratches from the tree branches she had run through.

She gave a slight pause as she came to a fork in the trail. Her eyes glanced left then right. Going against her gut instinct, she went right. She knew what would happen if she went left. She couldn't hear him behind her anymore and turned to look over her shoulder.

Nothing.

She had lost him.

Bam! She hit the ground so hard, the air blasted from her lungs. Shit! She had tripped on a root. She should have gone the other way. Running into the tree knocked her head a bit, but tripping on that root twisted her fucking ankle. A soft whimper escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. "Damn, that hurt." She rolled onto her back to get up.

She froze when she heard the chuckling off to her left. Suddenly she was pinned under his body. "It's a shame that you are so clumsy, but you wouldn't have escaped me anyway."

"You…You, Kikyo's sister, Tomi, are the way I will make both of them suffer. The half demon bastard and that lying whore of a priestess will be so easy to destroy, after your death." He began to rip at her clothing. His lips moved to the mark on her neck and he jerked back when something burnt him. He stared at the pink glowing pentagram and the blue glowing moon. "What the fuck?" An instant later he was blasted ten feet from her.

She sat up, her top in tatters. Blood stained the top from the scratches he had given her. She grabbed her bow, notched an arrow, and watched as it weakly sealed him to a tree. It would maybe last a minute if she was lucky. Ignoring the pain in her foot, she rose to her feet and ran. Then it hit her.

She knew where she was! The well was in the clearing she was approaching. Even if the well wouldn't take her from this place, it was her only option. If she went in head first and it didn't work, the fall would kill her. If it did work, she got away. To her, it was a win, win situation. She flinched when she heard the scream of rage as he broke the seal.

Twenty yards…Fifteen yards…Ten yards…

He knew what she was going to do. The little bitch would rather kill herself than let him have his fun with her! He couldn't let that happen.

"You thought you could escape me, you little bitch!" Naraku grabbed her wrist. He jerked her against him and his mouth closed over hers.

Tears poured down her face. "Please…don't," she whimpered, pulling her mouth from his. His hand slashed through her shirt and into her flesh causing her to scream. His hand moved through the hole in her shirt and cupped her bare breast.

Pretending that she liked it, Kagome pulled him closer and held onto his shoulders. Summoning as much purifying energy as she could, she shot it into him.

He grunted and staggered back from her. "This is for Sango!"

He grunted again when her foot kicked his shin. "That was for Miroku!"

The air was knocked from him when she punched him in the stomach. "That was for Kikyo!"

She balled up her hand and punched him in the face. "That was for Inuyasha!"

"And this." She pulled him close to her, before she brought her knee hard into his groin. "This is for Kagome!" She shoved him from her and watched as he hit the ground hard. Demon, human, or half demon, shots like that are going to hurt.

She looked at him as he was slowly rising to his feet. Unbelievable rage boiling in his eyes. She was already sitting at the edge of the well. "I'll see again. Either in Hell, or in the future, but we will meet again." She let herself fall backwards into the well. One last thought crossed her mind as she fell. 'Will I be reincarnated into myself again if I die?'

Fifty three years later…

A small fox demon sat the well, looking inside with longing. He refused to believe that his mama had abandoned him! No matter what Inuyasha said. This was all Inuyasha's fault anyway.

Being the moonless night, all the humans were in the village while Shippo sat at the well. With him, protecting him were four very high strung wolf demons.

Koga and Ayame had decided to mate and wanted to tell Kagome. Much to Inuyasha's dismay, they had showed up three weeks ago, looking for her, and decided to wait for her return.

Ginta and Hakkaku refused to leave until they saw their little sister so the wolves had pretty much move into the area.

"So, Kagome lives in a well?" Ayame asked.

"No. Mama travels through the well between here and her country." Shippo blinked as he continued to stare into the well.

Koga folded his arms across his chest and snorted. "Ain't nothing going to happen, kid. You've been sitting out here for days."

Shippo instantly began to sob.

"Koga, you're such a jerk!" Ayame yelled at him and pulled Shippo into her arms.

"Man Koga, you sure are being mean." Hakkaku said.

"Yeah Koga." Ginta agreed.

Koga jumped up on the edge of the well. "I don't get it. Nothing is special about this well. It's… Oh shit!" Koga jumped back and fell on his ass as a ray of electric blue light shot into the night sky.

"Mama!" The fox demon jumped from Ayame's arms.

"No!" Koga grabbed him and handed him to Ayame.

All the demons could smell Kagome, her blood, Inuyasha, and Naraku in the well. If something bad had happened to Kagome, Koga didn't want the kid to see it.

Koga jumped into the well and landed next to the stunned human, just sitting up. Her lip was bleeding, her now short hair was a mess, and her clothing was torn to shreds. It was obvious that someone had tried to rape her, but just as obvious was the fact that she escaped.

"Kagome?" He asked hesitantly.

She stood up slowly with her back against the well. "Koga!" She threw herself into his arms and began to sob.

"Koga?" Ayame looked down on them.

"Go get mutt face and his friends! Now!"

Ayame instantly ran to the village. She burst into Kaede's hut startling the four humans and one dead woman that were sleeping in it.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Ayame? You trying to scare the shit out of me or something?" Human Inuyasha barked.

"What's wrong, Ayame?" Sango slowly stood up, followed by Miroku.

Kilala growled and ran out the door, toward the well.

"Kagome has returned, but she smells like blood and Naraku. Koga told me to…" Ayame realized that she was speaking to an empty room as everyone tore from the hut like bats out of Hell.

Even the old woman ran busting ass to get out there. Ayame found that kind of funny as she followed.

All of them wanted to know what had happened to Kagome.

They were all in for one hell of a shock.


	9. String of Lies

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 9- String of Lies  
  
Inuyasha was livid as he ran toward the well. He used his selective memory to sort through Ayame's announcement. The only words he paid attention to were the ones that told him Kagome was back. He paid no heed to the blood and Naraku the wolf demon had mentioned.

That little bitch! He was going to give her a piece of his mind. He had been guilt ridden when he had hit her. The event actually rendered him speechless. It had only taken him a week to go apologize and when he went to the future, Mrs. Higurashi had demanded for him to tell her where her daughter was. He was completely baffled. He hadn't seen Kagome in week. When he told her mom that, she told him that she left two days before to say goodbye to them for good.

He had been panicked when he returned to the past and could find a trace of Kagome. What if some demon had snatched her while she returned to say goodbye to them? He already blamed himself for Kagome leaving. He had been so cruel toward her and all because he didn't know how to react to her. He felt the same way around Kagome that he had with Tomi, but she had been gone for fifty three years. If Tomi had survived, she would be over seventy years old by now. An image of Kaede flashed through Inuyasha's head and he shook it to clear it.

A lot of weird things have been happening the past few weeks. Memories of things that had occurred before he was sealed to tree were in disarray. It was like waking up from a dream with some of them. Things he remembered weren't what really happened. Some parts were black. He remembered finding Tomi's body, but he also remembered finding that her scent faded near the well.

Running toward the well, Inuyasha was overcome with a headache so bad that he collapsed to his knees as memories and spiritual power zapped into him all at once. Being in the lead, everyone watched him fall to the forest floor.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Sango put her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know. My fucking head hurts so damn bad." He spoke through clenched teeth.

Miroku looked over at Kikyo in the paleness of the predawn light. Her face appeared to be even more ashen than it usually was. Her hand went to rub her temple as she winced in pain.

All in the group stared at Inuyasha as he began to glow pink. Whatever spiritual powers had laid dormant in him when he was without his mate, were now awakened with a vengeance.

His head snapped back as if someone had hit him when the realization slammed into him. The memory was vivid and he knew it was true. The last time he had inhaled Tomi's scent was the morning he followed it to the well. She had vanished through the well! No wonder Kagome looked so much like Tomi. It's because Kagome and Tomi were the same person!

"Come on! Koga is with her, but she needs all of you!" Ayame yelled.

Inuyasha's eyes locked with hers. Koga! That fucking wolf had his hands all over his mate! He jumped to his feet and sped past Ayame. A very demon like growl erupted from his human lips as he ran.

The others stared after him in shock.

"What was that all about?" Miroku asked any of them.

Sango shook her head. "I have no idea, Miroku."

Everyone else was close behind.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

Kagome clung to Koga with a death grip as he jumped from the well.

Ginta and Hakkaku rushed to Koga's side, obviously very concerned about the human they called their little sister. They too could smell Naraku on the priestess. The two usually bumbling, laid back friends of Koga were totally on edge as the studied their friend.

Naraku wasn't the only thing Koga could smell on Kagome. He pulled the remnants of the collar away from her skin to see the mark of a spiritual half demon. He recognized the crescent moon as the same one that Inuyasha's full demon brother had on his forehead. It was obviously a family crest, because Ayame's grandfather remembered the father of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru having one.

"So, Inuyasha finally marked you, huh?" He smiled at her.

Her response was to cry harder against him.

"Hey Kagome," Ginta walked over to her. "What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?"

Koga pulled back enough to stare at the healing scratch marks on her face. They were about a month old. A month ago, she had went home because of Inuyasha. "That sonofabitch." He growled as he held Kagome tighter.

"He hit her. Inuyasha hit her." The wolves noticed the human burst through the tree line and into the clearing.

"Get the fuck away from my mate, Koga!" Inuyasha bellowed.

Koga eased Kagome to the ground and Shippo jumped on her shoulder. He clung tightly to his mama, not quite sure what to do. The three wolf demons stood between her and the enraged human. Koga folded his arms across his chest. "Tell me, mutt face, did you hit her before or after you marked her? Did you have to knock her senseless to mark her?"

"Stop it!" Kagome slowly rose to her shaking feet.

"Kagome!"

"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku ran to the girl.

She was sobbing as she threw her arms around the two. "Oh Gods, I'm so happy to see you two. I'm back! He's not here now."

"Who's not here, now, Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked.

"Naraku!" She cried out.

Inuyasha continued toward Kagome with his face nearly expressionless. The only things that could be seen on it were his confusion and excitement. He had been right! Tomi and Kagome were the same person. She looked the same as she had that night he had left her in Kikyo's hut. Part of him wanted to yell at her for being stupid, the other part wanted to hold her, and never let her go again.

Koga had other ideas.

"Grab him!" Koga yelled to Ginta and Hakkaku.

"Let me go, you fuckers! You can't keep me from my mate! Tomi!" Inuyasha fought against the stronger demons. He felt something growing inside of him and released it into the two wolf demons.

They yelped when the hot pink purifying energy zapped into them. They shook their hands and backed away from the human.

"What the hell?" Koga stared at them. Inuyasha's eyes were glowing pink and his aura had the most powerful spiritual energy any of them had ever seen.

He looked over to Kagome and saw the mark on her glowing through her clothes. "Get away from her or I'll fucking purify you!" Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome knew his secret, but none of the others had. She wasn't even sure if Kikyo knew and he told her everything. Her mind was working a million miles an hour and she was blocking out Shippo's continuous babbling. If Inuyasha's spiritual powers from his mother could only be activated if he claimed a mate that was a priestess, then with Kagome's return to him, he was overwhelmed by powers much larger than something he could control. He couldn't control them. He could accidentally kill any of the demons around him by just touching them.

Kilala hissed at him and ran to Sango. Ayame went to move toward Koga, but Kikyo's hand wrapped around her wrist. "No. What ever is happening to him, it has spiritual powers I have never seen. I don't believe he can control them."

"What's wrong with Inuyasha?" Shippo asked anyone listening.

"He is a spiritual half demon. His mother was a priestess, a very powerful one, I believe," Miroku replied.

"That's amazing. I thought they were just myths." Sango stared in awe.

"Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here!" He shook his fist toward them. "I might be human tonight, but I'm not deaf, you know!"

"Ginta! Hakkaku! Koga! Get away from him! He can't control his powers! He might kill you!" Kagome ran from Sango and Miroku, toward Inuyasha.

The sun was creeping over the horizon while all this was going on. As Kagome passed Koga, his large hand clamped over her wrist, halting her. "I'm not going to let you go to him, just so he can hurt you again."

"Koga, he's not going to hurt me. Thank you for the concern, but let me go." She tried to pull away from him.

All of them were frozen by the low growl vibrating from Inuyasha's chest. All eyes turned Inuyasha. His head was bowed, but his white hair and dog ears had returned.

"Get away from my mate, wolf. Or I'll tear you to pieces." His voice was a low demonic snarl.

Kikyo's eyes landed on her best friend's hands. The claws that had always been there were longer and sharper. "Inuyasha."

He spun to face her and smirked at the fear that appeared on her face. The part of his eyes that used to be white was now red and the gold iris of each of his eyes now appeared blue. His fangs were long, over lapping his lower lip and one thick magenta stripe jaggedly adorned each cheek. She had heard about him turning full demon, but had never seen it.

"Let me go, Koga. He won't hurt me," Kagome pleaded with him.

Inuyasha whirled back to face his mate and the demon holding her. He cracked his knuckles as he faced them. He began to stalk toward them.

Ginta and Hakkaku scrambled away from Koga and Kagome.

"What are you two doing? Don't tell me you're afraid of mutt face." He taunted.

"We shouldn't interfere Koga. If he claimed Kagome as his mate, then we should let them work this out." Ginta said.

"Yeah. Besides, whatever happened they need to talk about it." Hakkaku added.

"I'm sorry, Koga," Kagome said.

"For what?"

"For this." She drove her elbow back into his stomach. The wolf grunted and doubled over, releasing her wrist. She walked to Inuyasha and stopped just out of his grasp.

"Mine." He looked at her, heatedly.

"Yours." She nodded as she stepped closer to him. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her head rested against his chest.

One of his hands cradled her head while his other arm wrapped around her.

All of the people watching, just stared, stunned. Tetsusaiga was strapped to his body. Some because they had never seen Inuyasha as a full demon and others because they knew what happened whenever he turned full demon. They had never seen Inuyasha in his full demon form when he wasn't trying to kill something.

Kagome was so relieved that she was back with everyone. This was better than the other two outcomes. One was her being dead with a broken neck and the other one…Thinking about the other possible outcome made her shudder and cling tighter to Inuyasha. None of those things had happened though. She was back with her friends and Inuyasha. She was being held tightly by the man she loved. Everything was going to be okay.

A soft whimper escaped the man holding her as he rocked her back and forth. His mate was back. She hadn't died. She was safe and in his arms. The demon receded, leaving the half demon in his place. "Tomi." He whispered. She didn't even bother to correct him. She felt tears of relief building in her eyes. All of them should have seen it coming. Inuyasha possessed an amazing ability to totally destroy the moment. His suspicions and impulsive nature always found a way to wreck even the most perfect of times.

And he wasn't going to start by failing them now.

"You left me." His accusing voice snapped her attention back to him.

She pulled back slightly. She looked into his gold eyes to see his hurt, anger, and accusation. "No…you don't…"

"Shut up!" He pulled away from her. "I told you not to leave and you ran out anyway!"

"I wanted to kill Naraku. I knew that it wasn't you that night!"

"That's right." His voice was vicious. "You ran after him without thinking about what might happen to you. Or me! Did you ever think about what I would go through after you were gone? How much it hurt me!"

"I'm sorry…"

"You knew the whole time that you were my mate and you never told me! Was it some kind of a sick game to you!"

Kagome shook her head with tears running down her cheeks. "No. It's not…"

"You were just looking for an easy way out. I knew that you were too good to be true, Tomi. Nobody could ever love a half breed the way you acted like you loved me. Did you figure out that you would have to stay with me forever and maybe, have my pups? Is that why you looked for an easy way out?!"

"I went to kill Naraku, because he had talked to Kikyo that night."

"Does anyone have any idea what they're fighting about now?" Sango asked.

"I'm not totally sure." Miroku frowned.

"He told me what he was going to do to me and I ran. After I got so far, I noticed the well. I didn't even know if it would work, but I needed to…"

"WHAT!!! You didn't even know if it would work! The fall would have killed you without the time portal to ease your fall. You knew that though. That's why you did it! What better way to get away from me?!"

"Don't make this about you! You're such an asshole! I jumped head first into the well, because I would have rather died than let Naraku rape me, because that's what he was going to do. You know how I felt about Onigumo. How he disgusted me!"

"Tomi, I…"

"Kagome! My name is Kagome! I was lying to you when I told you my name was Tomi! My mother's name is Tomiko. I didn't want to use my real name, so I gave you that name. My name is now and has always been Kagome!"

"Kagome… I thought…"

"Of course you did! You believe that everyone is looking for a reason to fuck you over! You're such a fool! You think that just because you are a half demon that you don't deserve kindness, so you think anyone who gives it to you has some kind of a hidden motive." She looked around at everyone. As happy as she was, there was person that she needed more than anyone. That person was five hundred years in the future.

"I need to go home," she said to no one.

"Like hell! I just found you again. Besides, that well is fucking haywire. What happens if it takes you somewhere else?" He was beyond pissed at her. He couldn't believe she had just yelled all that stuff in front of the others. Now, she wanted to leave him again.

She looked at him as she walked to the well. "You can come with me, if you want." She was now standing on the edge of the well.

He bounded over to the well and stood next to Kagome. He grabbed her hand in his and together they jumped.

All of the others ran to stare down into the well. "That was weird," Koga said.

Kikyo snorted. "Yeah, I agree. And I'm the walking dead."

Miroku smirked slightly at the thought of Kikyo having a sense of humor.

"No kidding." Shippo said dryly.

All of them wondered what would happen when Kagome and Inuyasha came back.

Kikyo was the most concerned. She knew Naraku better than anyone.

What will they do about Naraku? Now, he would be even more determined to smash Inuyasha and take Kagome.

It was only a matter of time before he remembered that Tomi hadn't died.

Only a matter of time before he found out that Kagome was Tomi.


	10. You Really Got Me

A/N: Inuyasha has a moment where his human and demon sides are talking in his head. Imagine the scene from the cartoons where the angel is on one shoulder and the devil is on the other. His human side is the angel and his demon side is, uh, the devil. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

I want to clear up a few things…

Kagome is her own reincarnation. She died five hundred and fifty years or so before she was born, so her soul was given to her again. I'm not really sure how this works, just work with me.

Naraku is not dead. Kagome just did what she did to allow her enough time to go through the well. That means she left Naraku alive…And very pissed. He won't find out about the Tomi/Kagome thing until later.

Kagome is still injured. From the start of chapter 7 to the end of chapter 8 was probably only between thirty minutes to an hour of time and once Kagome got back, everyone was so relieved that she didn't think about her wounds. Everyone knew and was concerned, but when Inuyasha and her began to fight, they just watched.

Finally, after Kagome went back into the well, everything happened the way it did in the anime/manga universe. Inuyasha agreed to use the jewel to become human, Naraku struck down Kikyo, she pinned Inuyasha to the tree, Kagome fell down the well when she was fifteen, etc.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 10-You Really Got Me

For the second time in under an hour, Kagome felt the weirdness of the time jump. It reminded her of when Yuka had been driving in the country and went down a hill too fast in the car. That's how her stomach always felt. Today was even worse. She was tired, bloody, sore, and her ankle hurt like a bitch. She had left about a month ago, telling her mother she would be back in a few hours, and she had never come back. She knew that Inuyasha believed that she had left him all those years ago. That was why he held onto her so tightly.

He was beautiful, but had the density of a black hole sometimes.

And he really knew how to piss a girl off.

She suddenly felt dizzy. Everything that had happened in the past thirty minutes slammed into the eighteen year old as she stood at the bottom of the dry well. For a second, she thought she was going to go into shock, but her vision began to fade. She made a weak grab for the man next to her, shocking the hell out of him when her free hand tried to grab his other wrist and grabbed him between the legs.

"What the hell?" He snapped, pulling her hand away from him. "Is that all you can think about at a time like this?"

"Inuyasha," she gasped weakly as her body slid away from him.

Had he not been holding her wrist so tightly, she would have slid to the dirt floor. "Kagome?" He jerked her up enough, so that he could slip an arm around her waist. His hand went through her torn top and touched the hot flesh of her bloody and scratched stomach.

He hadn't even paid attention to her injuries. His ears pinned back at the thought. What kind of a mate was he? His mate was injured and all he could do was yell at her about how selfish she was that she had left him to escape her would be rapist. Inuyasha froze as he heard the door to the well house slide open. His ears stood completely erect to listen for any sound the intruder made. His nose twitched as he inhaled the scent.

"Kagome? Inuyasha?" Ms. Higurashi said, a second before a bright beam of light shined right into Inuyasha's sensitive eyes.

"Ugh…" His free arm came up to shield his eyes as he stumbled back and hit the wall with his back. "What the hell are you trying to do? Blind me or something?!" He bellowed at the woman, shining the light in his eyes.

"Inuyasha?"

"Keh!"

The light suddenly clicked off and Inuyasha heard panicked scrambling down the ladder. In the darkness, all Mrs. H could see was the outline of the tall white haired young man holding a smaller limp body. "Kagome," she gasped. "Is she…"

Inuyasha blinked, before the unspoken question word flashed through his mind. "Of course she ain't dead! She just fainted."

"What happened?"

"I'm not really sure. Can we bring her in the house and then I'll tell you everything I know."

"Of course, but let me go make sure that no one will see you." Ms. H scurried up the ladder and opened the door. She turned preparing to go back to Inuyasha and nearly ran into him.

She gasped in shock as she stared at him. She hadn't even heard him move and he had been right behind her.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that everything is clear. We can go into the house. Wait here and I'll open the door for you."

Ms. H ran across the yard and opened the door. She waved Inuyasha toward the door. Inuyasha looked around and ran into the house.

"What on earth?" Gramps looked up to see Inuyasha run into the house holding Kagome. He jumped to his feet and walked up to Inuyasha, who had been holding Kagome bridal style since he leapt from the well. "What did you do to my granddaughter, demon?"

"I didn't do anything to her, you crazy old man! I just brought her home!" Inuyasha shouted, in self defense.

"Grandpa! Inuyasha! Please! Don't start fighting! This is about Kagome. We need to clean her up and see if any of her wounds are serious." Ms. H was disturbed by the state of her clothing and the blood on Kagome. "Inuyasha, was she raped?"

Inuyasha's ears flattened. "No," he said softly. "But she almost was."

"Bring her up to her room for me, please Inuyasha."

"Keh." He walked up to Kagome's room. He couldn't bear to let her go yet, so he sat on the pink bedspread with Kagome cradled in his lap.

A whimper escaped his lips as he nuzzled his mark on her with his nose. He felt both rage and shame as the scent of the earlier Naraku reached his nose.

It was an odd scent that covered his mate. It seemed to be an equal mixture of what human, Onigumo had smelled like and what half demon, Naraku smelled like now. The stench on her nearly gagged him, but it didn't matter, because she was okay and with him now.

He released a silent gasp when her hands clenched his hair. "Inuyasha." He could feel her tears searing through his fire rat clothing as she began to sob against him. He hadn't even know that she had been coming to, but now she was clenching his hair so tight, he thought she was going to pull it out.

"I was so scared. He was going to rape me." She shifted in his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist, in a motion to her that was innocent. All she wanted was the man she loved to comfort her.

Inuyasha choked back the low whine that threatened to come out of his throat. He knew what she wanted, but the scent of her blood mixed with the way she was pressed against him, was making him painfully aroused.

'Gods, she was almost raped what the hell is wrong with you?' His human side asked in his head.

'We have waited so long for our bitch. She was attacked because she is foolish and you are so weak that I vanish on the moonless night. She needs to be put in her place. We need to claim her now.' The deeper, darker voice rasped.

'Her place?' His human side scoffed.

'Under our domination.'

'You'll hurt her.'

'Never.'

Inuyasha was silent as he listened to the two voices argue. Then with the vow of the demon to never hurt her, he could feel the indifference of his human side and he had to stop it. If the human side agreed to take her, the two parts of Inuyasha that often laid dormant could try to overpower him, causing him to possibly hurt Kagome.

"No! Shut up!" He shouted.

Kagome tensed in his arms and pulled away from him. She stood up on shaking legs and stared at him in horror. The look on her face broke his heart. "I didn't mean it, Kagome… I wasn't talking to you…"

"Mom!" Kagome ran into her mother's arms, sobbing the whole time.

Inuyasha pealed himself from the floor and walked over to the two women. His clawed hand rested on Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Go away, Inuyasha. Just leave me alone." Her voice was flat.

"Please Kagome?"

She shook her head. "Don't touch me. Leave me alone right now."

He stared at her as if she had just called him something that Sesshomaru would. His ears pinned back, gold eyes shimmered with tears that he was too stubborn to let fall, and his face looked totally defeated. "Inuyasha?" She reached out to him.

He jerked back and shook his head. She approached him. A soft sob escaped her when he flinched at her touch. He might be an asshole, but his heart and trust were fragile. Telling him not to touch her was about the same as if she would have called him a dirty half demon. Unknown to Kagome, the look in her eyes told him that he disgusted her. It was the same way everyone else looked at him, when she told him not to touch her.

He swallowed hard as he stared at her. "You asked me to leave. So, I'll go."

"Inuyasha." He sped past her and Kagome sank to her knees as she heard the door downstairs open, then slam shut.

Ms. H was totally at a loss at what to do. She had absolutely no clue what had happened while Kagome had been missing, but she knew that both were hurting. Kagome had nearly been raped and was in a very delicate emotional state. That much was obvious by the way she spoke to Inuyasha. She had seen the look in her eyes before she turned around and had never seen that look in Kagome's eyes. It was very seldom that her daughter was an emotional basket case, like she was now.

Inuyasha was a different story. Inuyasha was very fragile. Perhaps he was even more fragile than her daughter. Ms. H knew him well enough to know that. He was very guarded, jaded, and suspicious. Kagome was one of the few people he had given his absolute trust to and with the loathing of the look she had given him, Ms. H couldn't help but wondered if it had shattered his trust. She hoped not, but most likely the confused half demon was just sulking in a tree, not too far away.

"Kagome." She knelt next to her daughter. "What happened?"

Kagome looked at her with eyes red from crying. "You remember Tomi, mama?"

"Oh no. Tomi came back didn't she?" She felt her heart starting to break for her daughter.

"Kind of."

That one really puzzled her. "What do you mean?"

A bitter smile crossed Kagome's face. "Tomi wasn't her real name."

"What was her real name?"

"Kagome. Her real name is Kagome. It's me, mom. I'm Tomi."

Ms. H's hands shook as she lifted the teacup to her lips. Kagome's story effected her more than she thought it would. If fate had had its way, Kagome would have died the previous night.

She should have died that night. She had died that night. Ms. H had felt ill when Kagome told her how she died in her past life.

Time travel was a tricky thing and so were souls. Kagome had died and been reincarnated into herself. How? No one could even begin to guess.

Fate obviously had something else in store for her than to have her be murdered after being raped by the monster, Naraku.

"You know that boy would rather cut off his own arm than hurt, Kagome, right?" Grandpa looked at his daughter. As much of a quack as everyone thought Grandpa was, he actually knew much about demon mating.

"I know that, father, but the fact is that he did. He hit Kagome. Whether he meant to be cruel or not, that betrayal will always stand between them. Like the scars on her face, that will never go away."

"I believe I know what his problem is."

"What is his problem?"

"All humanoid creatures," he began, but thought of the man he knew of as Naraku. "Most human like creatures have three sides to them. The reasonable side, the primitive side, and the part somewhere in the middle. I have heard through legends that half demons have problems controlling these sides of their personality. More so than a human or demon."

"Why?"

"Because when it comes to a human or demon their two polar sides look at the way things work in their worlds. This means that the human's reasonable side will think of things in human terms, and the primitive side will do the same. That applies to demons. But when you get a creature that is both human and demon, problems are caused. The half demons reasonable side, usually the human side, will judge things from a human perspective, but the primitive side, which is usually demon, will look at things from a demon perspective. That's why most half demon's talk to themselves."

"Inuyasha talks to himself. I've heard him." Ms. H said.

"Kagome told you that she is Tomi, right?"

"That's right."

"Inuyasha's reasonable side would tell him that there is no way Kagome could be his mate, because his mate had died fifty years earlier, and Kagome is from five hundred years in the future. His primitive side would instantly recognize her by scent, thus creating an internal struggle in the boy that would slowly drive him insane."

"Mom," Kagome stood in the doorway wearing a pink tee shirt and a pair of khaki pants. Her face was pale with dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she needed to sleep for a few days.

Both people at the table looked up at the woman in the doorway. She limped slightly as she pulled out a chair and sat in at the table. "What is it Kagome?"

"I told you before that Inuyasha didn't claim Tomi as his mate." She began. "But this time." She pulled her collar from her skin and showed them the mark on her.

Kagome's grandfather jumped to his feet, knocking the chair to the floor with a crash. "That mark! That mark means…"

All three turned to the sliding door when it was thrown open so violently it nearly flew off the track. The wild, panicked looking half demon ran into the kitchen. "What happened?"

"Grandfather knocked over the chair." Ms. H told him.

His ears drooped slightly as he looked guiltily at the three people in the room with a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I'm sorry…I thought…"

"Inuyasha, sit down," Ms. Higurashi motioned to the chair next to her and quickly stood up to prepare the exhausted couple something to eat. She sat a can of soda in front of each of them.

"Thanks mom," Kagome said.

"Thanks." Inuyasha looked so nervous that he could bolt at any second.

"Why didn't you tell us that you are a spiritual half demon?" Grandpa asked Inuyasha.

Inuyasha didn't look up at his fiddled with the pop tab. Kagome had always opened the soda for him, but he wasn't going to ask her to now. For whatever reason, he couldn't maneuver his claw under the tab enough to open it. Unknown to him, he had begun to growl, causing all the humans to stare at him. "Huh?" He looked up to see them all staring at him. His face turned redder than his fire rat clothing.

Kagome reached across the table and slipped the can from his hands and into hers. She flicked the tab open and handed it back to him. "Here." She smiled at him.

"Thanks." He didn't smile, but his voice was softer than it had been for a while.

"Why didn't you tell us that you have spiritual powers?" Grandpa asked again.

"Because it wasn't any of your business, old man. Besides, would it have even mattered if I told you my mother was a priestess? I still have the blood of a demon in me." His voice was bitter as he studied the can.

"Inuyasha, it doesn't matter because you are still you." Kagome grabbed his hand across the table. She had been thinking about what grandpa had said about why Inuyasha talked to himself. She had felt how aroused he had been when she was sitting on his lap. Maybe he had been talking to himself when shouted at her. Maybe he had been afraid that he would hurt her, or do something she didn't want.

She had seen the hurt on his face earlier and realized in that instant that he was much easier to break than she was. He took everything personal, didn't forgive easily, and seldom gave out his trust and affection. He had to be going through a lot. She knew the spiritual powers had over taken him, memories had slammed into him, and he was trying to fight the feelings of betrayal he had felt about Tomi leaving him, and everything else that had happened had to overwhelm him.

He gave her a shy, curious smile and squeezed her hand.

Ms. Higurashi sighed. Now that Inuyasha had just calmed down, it was time to rile him up again. She didn't really want to, but knew the shift in conversation she was going to invoke would. "So, that mark means that you two are mated. Have you had sex yet?" She asked bluntly. After all that had happened, she saw no reason to sugar coat it.

Kagome and Inuyasha's face turned the same shade of red as they gaped at her. Grandfather hurried from the room faster than anyone had even seen him, but none of them paid any attention. The two couldn't even answer and just shook their heads no.

"Kagome, you need to start taking the birth control again."

She nodded. She had been taking it since she was sixteen just in case. She had missed the past month's dose and needed to start taking them again.

"What's birth control?" Inuyasha's eyes were suddenly suspicious once again.

"It…uh...ur…" Kagome stuttered.

Ms. H sighed. 'At least he's dependable.' "Birth control is something that can keep Kagome from getting pregnant."

"You don't want her to have my pup? Is that it?"

"Inuyasha, do you think that it would be good for Kagome to get pregnant before you defeat this Naraku guy?" Ms. H reasoned.

"Keh!" He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course not."

Ms. H left the two at the table as she began to scoop them each a bowl of ramen. She sat it down in front of them and watched as they began to eat. They both ate in silence, both thinking about what they would do now. Things had forever changed. They both knew that without a doubt.

Kagome yawned as she finished. "Are you tired?" Inuyasha asked.

'Duh,' she thought, but didn't dare tell him that. "Very tired."

She was shocked when he pulled her from the chair and lifted her into his arms. "What are you doing?"

"Your ankle's hurt. You can't walk on it and you're tired, so I'm taking you to your room."

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll wake the two of you up for dinner."

"Can we have steak?" Inuyasha whirled around, making Kagome slightly sick to her stomach.

Ms. H laughed. "Of course we can Inuyasha."

He spun back around and ran to her room. He laid her down on her bed. "Inuyasha, lay with me."

"No. I can't Kagome. I'm sorry." He stood next to the bed and looked down at her.

"I can't sleep with you staring at me like that. Come on, we'll both be dressed."

"Fine. If it'll get you to go to sleep." He crawled onto the bed and had to lay on his side with his back facing her.

She waited a few moments before she said his name. A soft smile curled her lips when she realized he was already asleep. A few moments later, she followed him into dream world.

Later that day, Ms. H was putting some towel in the closet when she noticed her father peaking into Kagome's room. "What are you doing?"

He waved her toward him and she peaked into the room. The sight she saw made her smile. Shooing grandpa from the door, she softly closed the door. It was time to prepare dinner and leave the two alone to let them sleep.

She still smiled as she thought about the sight she had seen.

Inuyasha had rolled over and his arms were securely wrapped around Kagome's waist. Her arms were crossed over his with her hands holding onto his forearms. Both of them were totally at peace in each others arms.


	11. Lay Your Hands On Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 11- Lay Your Hands On Me

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha looked at Kagome as she straddled his body. She smirked at him as she began to untie the sash around his waist. Once she was finished she pulled both the fire rat robe and the cream colored shirt from the waistband of his red pants and pushed them away.

"Do you remember the day that you claimed me as your mate and I did this to you?"

He mutely nodded.

"I want more, Inuyasha. Today I want more." She whispered in his ear, before she ran her tongue along the tip of his ear.

A groan ripped from his lips as her hands began to caress the defined lines of his chest and stomach muscles. She laughed softly and bent her head to his chest to lap at his right nipple. "Uhh…Kagome." He grunted and grabbed her short hair in his clawed hands.

"Do you like that, Inuyasha?" She laughed softly at the look on his face.

"Gods woman, what are you trying to do to me?" he gasped.

"I'm just trying to prepare you for what will come later." She moved to his other nipple and began to lick it. After paying enough attention to that side, she began to run her hot tongue down his stomach. She was careful to pay attention to each of his defined muscles.

Inuyasha wasn't bulky with muscle, but he was more muscular than his appearance led one to believe. Of course, it was hard to tell what kind of body he had under the voluminous fire rat robes he wore. But it sure impressed Kagome. Then again, Kagome loved everything else about Inuyasha. Why wouldn't she love his body too?

Her hand slipped between his legs and she began softly knead him through his pants. His back arched as he groaned. This woman was going to be the death of him, but what a way to die?

His breathing hitched even more as her hand stopped touching him, and moved toward the waistband of his pants.

"Do you want this?" Kagome asked seriously.

Inuyasha could form no sounds other than grunts, growls, or groans, so he simply nodded.

Kagome smiled at him as she slid her hand into his pants. His body jolted as her hand wrapped around him….

And he fell out of the sacred tree, shattering his dream, and vaporizing his arousal.

He shook his head to clear the jarring ring from his ears, as he rose to his feet. He brushed off his baggy blue jeans and red tee shirt.

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?" Sota stared at him in shock as he held a broom.

Inuyasha felt his face burning as he faced Kagome's brother. "Keh! It takes more than that to hurt someone like me." His eyes shifted as he smelled the air around him.

He had been in Kagome's era for two weeks and last night he had finally given in to Ms. H's pleas for him to wear modern clothing. His fire rat clothing hung in Kagome's closet and the Tetsusaiga was under her bed. He reached up to check his hat, to make sure that it hadn't fallen off him. Satisfied when it remained, he brought his hand up to the bill of the red Dale Jr. hat and snuggly pulled it to his head. He wanted to secure it, just in case.

"So, uh, where's Kagome?"

"I think she's still asleep." Sota told Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked up to Kagome's window. "Thanks kid." He jumped to the window and opened it.

Inuyasha climbed into Kagome's room and was nearly knocked senseless by the scent of her. And she wasn't even aroused. A groan escaped him as he felt his jeans beginning to tent.

For the past two weeks, the sexual tension between the two had been steadily rising. After only a week, Inuyasha had stopped sleeping in Kagome's room. He was fighting a losing battle to not throw her down and have his way with her. He was afraid that he would hurt her, if he lost the control over his demon blood. What if he hurt her when he took her? What if he killed her?

This whole situation was so much more complicated than it had been before Kagome changed the past. Not Inuyasha wanted to change anything about it. Even though his nerves had been frayed over the past several weeks, he couldn't remember a time when he felt more at ease. It made no sense, but just being with Kagome, made him feel calm, even when he was painfully aroused.

His bare feet padded on Kagome's carpet toward her bed. Even though he wore clothing from this era, he refused to wear a pair of shoes. There was no way in hell he would restrict his feet too. Once he was next to the bed, he sank to his knees.

His head rested on the edge of it with his head next to hers. His ears pinned back when he heard her soft snoring. He found it amusing that his perfect Kagome snored.

He reached out to brush the hair from her face and lightly touched the scars on her face. Scars that he had left there. He had hit her. In a fit of impulsive, unreasonable rage, he had backhanded the girl he loved because he didn't understand his feelings.

Sesshomaru was right.

He was worthless.

He couldn't even protect his own mate from himself.

A low whimper escaped his throat as that whole night flashed through his mind. He remembered shoving her when she couldn't find Naraku and telling her that he would kill her if she ever said Tomi's name again. Most of all, he remembered the look on her face when she looked up at him, after he hit her.

She seemed so lost, so betrayed. If Inuyasha lived for another thousand years, he would never forget that look on her face as she held her hand against her bleeding cheek.

He held took Kagome's hand in his and rubbed his face against it. Then he just sat there with his cheek on the back of her hand.

Kagome woke up with something weighing her hand down. She tried to move it, but couldn't get free of what was holding it down. She heard a soft whine next to her and opened her eyes to see Inuyasha resting his head on her hand.

She could feel something wet on her hand.

"I'm sorry I hit you, Kagome." His voice was soft, and she knew that he wasn't paying enough attention to realize that she had awakened.

Kagome didn't know what to say to him. She couldn't just tell him that everything was fine.

Because it wasn't.

Nothing was fine. She had changed everything and she was even more afraid now, than she had ever been before.

She had forgiven him for what he had done a week after he did it, but she couldn't forget. The simple act of hitting her had been a violent betrayal. In that careless act, he had nearly thrown away everything between them. Despite how much she loved him, she couldn't help, but wonder if he would do it again. Could she ever fully trust him as she had before?

His nose twitched as he could smell her fear spike. He raised his head to look at Kagome. He wasn't sure why she was so afraid all of a sudden. His tear filled gold eyes met with her blue ones.

Kagome stared at him in shock as she watched the tears trail down his cheeks.

"Fifty three years ago, I told you that I would never hit a woman and I laughed at you when you told me that you loved a half demon. God, Kagome, I'm such a worthless bastard."

"No, you're not Inuyasha." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sank to her knees next to him. Her arms wrapped around him and she held him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I hurt you."

"I'm not going to tell you that it's okay, Inuyasha, because it's not. I forgave you for hitting me when I decided to return to say goodbye."

His inner demon roared in outrage at the idea of his mate leaving him. Inuyasha tamped down the ruthless beast. This was hardly the time or the place to set it loose.

"You know, I can't help, but wonder if you will do it again. If I piss you off, will you hit me again? Remember Inuyasha, I know nothing about demon mating. Will being with me keep you sane? Will you be dominant and even more jealous?"

He didn't want to lie to her. "I don't know, Kagome. I hope I don't hurt you again, but I can't promise that I won't, because I don't know."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Inuyasha." His honesty pleased her. She knew how bad he felt about hitting her and knew he hoped that he never did it again.

She lightly brushed her lips against his and her thumbs wiped his tears from his cheeks, before she stood up. "I'm going to go help mama fix some breakfast." She walked out of the room.

"Good morning, sweetie." Ms. H smiled at Kagome. She loved being able to tell her daughter that every morning.

"Good morning, mama. Can I help you with anything?"

"No." She smiled. "I think I have everything under control."

Kagome poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kagome looked at the cup.

"It's that half demon again." Grandpa didn't even look up as he continued reading the paper.

"Would you quit calling him that? He's going to be the husband of your granddaughter." Ms. H scolded.

"Huh?" Inuyasha had just walked into the room and stared at everyone.

All eyes turned to him.

He walked in and slumped in the chair next to Kagome.

"You do want to marry me, don't you?" Kagome's eyes held blue fire as she regarded him.

Inuyasha knew he was trapped. Hell, he was so afraid, the humans could probably smell his fear. "Of course I want to marry you, Kagome. We'll have three weddings if you want."

"Three?" The others asked.

"Yeah. A demon ceremony, a wedding here, and a wedding in my time." He grabbed the glass of water that was sitting in front of him and took a drink.

"Kagome, tonight me, grandpa, and Sota are leaving to go to Kyoto for the weekend. We think it's best that you and Inuyasha stay here."

"Okay."

"That's fine with me." Inuyasha said. "Those train things are weird. I don't trust them."

"Good. Now, to talk about the weddings."

"Three weddings!" Kagome squealed. "That's so exciting."

"Ah man."

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

The sound of the TV channel constantly changing was the only sound in the room. Kagome's teeth were grinding together as she watched Inuyasha's thumb endlessly change the channel. She shifted on the couch, wanting to do nothing more than sit him into unconsciousness. But she couldn't do that. She wasn't going to punish him for something as trivial as doing something that he had watched Sota and grandpa do all the time. Neither one of them had spoken to each other since that morning. Kagome had went to the store with her mother to get some food for them for the weekend.

Inuyasha had brooded in his tree all day. He had only come in because he smelled that dinner was ready.

Kagome glanced at the clock and sighed. It was nearly nine. Too early to go to bed, too late to go enjoy the sun. "I'm going to get in the shower." She walked from the room.

Inuyasha continued to change the channels until he came to a weird movie. He blushed at what the people were doing. He shifted as he felt himself growing aroused by watching them. He glanced out the window and dropped the remote. "Oh no," he gasped.

It was the night of the full moon. That meant that his human side went nearly dormant. If he didn't get the Tetsusaiga, he might hurt Kagome. He didn't become full demon, but what he became was pretty close. He rose to his feet and ran toward Kagome's room.

The sun had fully set when he threw open the door to her room. The sight he saw when ran into the room made him freeze.

Kagome was lying naked on the bed with a hand between her legs and another on her breast. She was moaning his name and the scent of her arousal made his mouth water.

With a whimper and a helpless glance toward her closet, his vision focused on her.

And turned red.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

Later that night, he followed her to bed and she slid into it with no clothes on. He climbed on top of the covers next to her. He watched as she slipped into a deep sleep.

He didn't find sleep for a long time that night. He stroked her face, where his claw marks were and nuzzled the nearly enforced mating mark on her neck. All he could think was, 'Why does she always forgive me for hurting her.'


	12. Dirty

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 12- Dirty

A sky filled with brilliant stars heavily speckled the inky sky over the rather large group of humans and demons. The full moon gave them a lot of light, which could have been dangerous, because it would allow predators to see them. However, with the spiritual barrier erected by the monk and undead priestess, there was nothing that could enter it.

Naturally, the white haired demon lord said he needed no such protection, but everyone ignored him. They were happy to not worry about someone attacking them in the middle of the night.

It had been two weeks since Inuyasha and Kagome had gone back to her time. Miroku, Sango, Kikyo, Koga, and the other wolf demons were on the hunt for Naraku and jewel shards. The day after Inuyasha and Kagome had left, Sesshomaru and his group had shown up.

Now, all of them sat around a huge fire.

Ah-Un was content with Rin sleeping on his back as he rested in the wet grass. In front of Ah-Un, Sesshomaru sat in the circle with Jaken on his left and to his right was Sango. To Jaken's left were Ginta, and then Hakkaku.

Which came as a huge shock to everyone was the fact that the two wolf demons and Jaken were now good friends. Some how the two bumbling wolf demons had befriended the most annoying being alive, Jaken.

Next to Ginta sat Ayame and next to her sat, her mate, Koga.

Koga had been sure to separate his mate from the monk. He liked the monk and would hate to kill him for copping a feel on his mate.

That was one thing that Koga actually didn't have to worry about. Miroku had only groped one woman since the day that Inuyasha and Kagome left. That woman had not been Sango, but the woman sitting on Miroku's right.

Kikyo liked it when Miroku would grab her. That, she didn't even bother to keep a secret. She had even walked by him and slapped him hard on the ass a few times. Inuyasha had known about the growing attraction between the two for a while. He was, after all, a mutual best friend to both. They both told him about their interests in one another.

Inuyasha had told them to keep it to themselves. The stupid flirting that they did was okay. One would think they were just messing around. But he had told them his fears about what Naraku would do if he found out about them.

He was actually right.

If Naraku found out that they cared for each other, in a romantic sense, he would kill Miroku and probably Kikyo too.

Sango was sitting to Kikyo's left with Shippo sleeping soundly in her lap. Of all the people in the group, Sango, Shippo, and Sesshomaru were the only ones suspicious toward Kikyo.

Naturally Sango didn't like Kikyo because now Miroku was interested in Kikyo. She conveniently forgot to remember that she was the one that told Miroku that she would never be anything more than friends with the monk, after calling him a pervert.

The whole event had hurt Miroku more than anyone had known. He hadn't even told Inuyasha how he had been feeling. Usually anyone in the group would cave after Inuyasha's nagging to tell him what was wrong, but Miroku didn't.

Inuyasha might be a ditz, but he cared about them a lot.

When he returned a week after hitting Kagome, he had apologized to everyone for his actions. He shoved Miroku, terrified Shippo, pissed off Sango, and he had done all of this in Kaede's hut. But the most damning thing he had done, he could only apologize to her friends for. He had hit Kagome. For the first time in a long time, he had cried as he begged for their forgiveness.  
Things would never be the same as they had been before, but slowly their relationships with him had been improving.

Now both he and Kagome had been gone for two weeks. None of them had spoke of what happened that morning, but all of them had questions.

Kikyo had seemed the most unsettled by the whole situation and Miroku wanted to know why, but she would tell them when she was ready. Kikyo shifted again.

That greatly irritated Sesshomaru. "What is wrong with you, wench?"

Her green eyes locked with the cold eyes of the demon regarding her. "I am thinking, my lord."

He blinked. "About what?"

'Gods, this guy sure is curious.' Kikyo didn't like Sesshomaru. She never had. She had met him when she had been alive. He had come to the village to kill Inuyasha and Kikyo had confronted him. Sesshomaru had assumed that Kikyo was Inuyasha's woman and offered Kikyo proposition. Sesshomaru had told Kikyo he would stop trying to kill Inuyasha if she let him take her body.

Kikyo had known what Sesshomaru had been thinking and took full advantage of the situation. In demon society, the male generally liked his female to be a virgin. Sometimes the male would abandon or kill the female, if she wasn't a virgin.

Sesshomaru would believe that Inuyasha would react like this, so he decided to take the human. After Inuyasha either left her or killed her, this would leave Inuyasha vulenrable to Sesshomaru. Then he could finally wipe clean the blemish that Inuyasha had represented to the demon's bloodline.

Things hadn't working out the way Sesshomaru had planned. Onigumo's scent had been washed away and the spiritual purity that Kikyo possessed, made her smell like an unclaimed virgin again.

Sesshomaru had mocked Kikyo about being a whore as he took her because she wasn't a virgin. He couldn't wait until Inuyasha lost the trust he felt for the human. It had only been a matter of time before Sesshomaru could kill his brother. When he had heard about Inuyasha being pinned to the tree, he had guessed that it had to do with him taking the priestess.

And why wouldn't he think that? Sesshomaru thought the world revolved around him. To this day, Sesshomaru still believed that the whole Kikyo and Inuyasha situation had been because of him.

"Pray tell, what are you thinking about, Kikyo?" Sesshomaru asked in a bored tone.

"The past," she replied.

Miroku's hand rested lightly on Kikyo's right shoulder. "What were Inuyasha and Kagome fighting about that night Kagome returned?"

Kikyo sighed. She knew this was coming. It actually took longer for someone to ask than she thought it would. "Kagome changed the past."

"How did she do that?" Koga asked.

"Why did Inuyasha call her Tomi?" Ayame asked.

"What happened?"

"One at a time. I figure that it is best to start at the beginning." Kikyo looked at the fire. "Fifty four years ago, I met a bandit when I went to help a village that had just been torn apart by a rogue group of men calling themselves samurai."

"Onigumo." Sango said.

"Yes."

"Who the hell is Onigumo?" Koga asked.

"I'll get to that. Anyway, I met Onigumo and well, the first night together, we slept with each other. I know that all of you think that Inuyasha and I were once lovers, but that is simply not the case. Inuyasha and I were nothing, but close friends."

"You are not his woman?" Sesshomaru deadpanned.

Kikyo laughed. "Hardly. Inuyasha is my best friend. I'd do anything for him."

"Would you die for him?"

Kikyo laughed. "I'm already dead, but yes, I would die for him."

"You allowed Onigumo to take your body?" Miroku was shocked. He had known that Kikyo and Onigumo had a past, but he had thought it nothing more than an ill man's fixation with the woman nursing him.

She smiled bitterly. "At the time, I had already met Inuyasha. Onigumo and Inuyasha hated each other with a passion from the moment they met. Despite the fact that Onigumo was a human bandit, he saw Inuyasha as a lesser creature, because he was a half demon."

Kikyo noticed Sesshomaru shift slightly. That demon had to be the most hypocritical bastard alive. He hated Inuyasha because he was half human, but it wasn't okay for Onigumo to hate Inuyasha for being a half demon.

"It was about a year or so later that my younger sister, Tomi, appeared in the forest, near the village. I'm not sure when she and Inuyasha met, but I know they did. Onigumo had been injured when a rival bandit attacked him. He was slightly burnt, but lost the use of his legs."

"Get to the point. Kikyo. Why did Inuyasha call Kagome Tomi?" Sango snapped.

Kikyo frowned at her. "Because Kagome is Tomi. I will let her explain all of this to you when she returns. I am only telling you now, because Kagome has changed the past and is now in great danger from Naraku."

"Wait," Koga interrupted. "When did you meet Naraku?"

Kikyo looked at the fire with a sigh. Miroku rested his left hand on her right one. "Please continue, Lady Kikyo."

"One night, Onigumo and I got in a fight over the scared jewel. He wanted to use it to get the use of his legs back and I told him no. Onigumo's soul was so dark, that even an unselfish wish on the jewel for him would taint it. I told him that if I gave it to Inuyasha so he could become human, that it would purify it. Onigumo believed that I had chosen Inuyasha over him. We had a fight and I left." Kikyo's voice was bitter as the memory played vividly through her mind.

"The next morning, I returned to find that his cave had caught fire. There wasn't even a body left, just a shadow of one. Onigumo had sold his body and soul to the demons for four reasons. Though two of them, I am not clear as to what he was going to do. One was to kill Inuyasha, the second was to get the Shikon No Tama, and the other two reasons involved Tomi and I."

"Wait," Ayame said. "You said that Kagome changed the past. Does that mean that…"

"Yes. Kagome and Tomi are the same person. We all know where Kagome is truly from. Is it so hard to believe that the well could malfunction and take further into the past?"

"But Naraku confessed to Inuyasha that he was the one to kill Tomi. If Kagome really is Tomi, wouldn't she have died?" Miroku asked.

"That's the thing. That was the second time Kagome had traveled back there. Kagome is not my reincarnation, but a reincarnation of herself."

"Come again?" Ginta spoke.

"The first time this happened, we found Kagome's body in the forest. She had had her throat slashed. This time, she apparently escaped, thus changing the past and the future," Kikyo said. "Since Kagome is from the future, when she was killed in the past, her soul waited and she was reincarnated into herself."

"How is that possible?" Jaken asked.

"I'm not sure. I have told you all I know. If you have any more questions, it might be best to ask Inuyasha or Kagome when they return."

"Did you know that Inuyasha is a spiritual half demon?" Sango asked Kikyo.

She shook her head. "I had no idea. He never told me, but I know why he didn't."

"Inuyasha is a spiritual half demon?" Sesshomaru echoed.

"Didn't you know, Lord Sesshomaru?" Miroku asked him.

Sesshomaru frowned. "Obviously not. I believed my father to be weak because he mated with a human woman, now I believe that he was just foolish, because he mated with a priestess."

"What ever became of Onigumo? Surely, he didn't survive the merging of demons into his body, no human is that evil," Ayame said.

Kikyo smiled softly, but her eyes were hard and cold. "One was. Onigumo is no longer his name though."

"What is his name now?" Jaken's yellow eyes were bugged out in curiosity.

"Naraku. His name is now Naraku."

"You were having carnal relations with Naraku's human core while you were doing the same with this Sesshomaru?"

Kikyo looked at him. "Indeed." She was clearly mocking him.

"If I may, Lady Kikyo," Miroku said. "Have you been, uh, with Naraku since the transformation?"

"Yes. The last time was over a year and a half ago."

Koga jumped up, disgusted. "If I was with you the same time that you were with Naraku…"

"What?!" Everyone, but Sesshomaru shouted.

Sesshomaru just snorted. "It appears that the priestess is quite the busy little slut."

"When were you with her?" Ayame was clearly hurt.

"Just after I met Kagome. I thought that Kikyo was Kagome when I saw her bathing. When I saw she wasn't, I took her anyway."

"Oh yeah. I thought she looked familiar," Hakkaku said.

"She's the one that we took with Koga." Ginta said.

He remembered how he and Hakkaku had been looked for Koga. They found him taking the priestess in the hot spring and joined them.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed in disgust. "Who haven't you been with?"

"I haven't been with the fox, the toad, or the monk."

No one spoke for a few moments. All of the group members were actually thinking about what Kikyo had told them about Kagome.

All except one.

Koga scratched his head and turned to look at Kikyo. "If I fucked you while you were fucking Naraku, does that mean that I fucked Naraku too?"

Everyone turned to look at him in shock.

Even Sesshomaru had an expression on his face.

That expression was one of complete and total shock.

Perhaps he should kill the wolf now and put him out of their misery. And out of his own misery. Sesshomaru believed that it must be painful to be that stupid.

Kikyo grinned broadly at him and met his blue eyes. "Yes, it does, Koga."


	13. You Shook Me All Night Long

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 13- You Shook Me All Night Long

Soft moonlight fell down on the couple in the pink bed, despite the pink curtains that tried to keep it out. A man with hair the color of fresh snow and furry dog ears was illuminated as was the sleeping girl under the covers next to him.

He looked over at the girl sleeping next to him. His beautiful mate was snoring causing the half demon to smile as he brushed the black hair away from her face. His smiled faded when he recalled how he had hurt her the night before.

He had injured his mate. What kind of a monster did such a thing? He always seemed to be hurting her by his words or actions. He simply wasn't worthy of someone such as she. She was beautiful, kind, and pure.

Everything he was not.

He had woken up shortly after drifting off to sleep. He had stared at glow in the dark stars dotting Kagome's ceiling for a long time, because he was afraid to look at her. Even when she was asleep, he couldn't face her because of what had happened earlier.

He had made her feel pain when all she should have felt was pleasure. He was such an idiot! One question kept echoing through his head.

Why? Why did she love him?

He tried to find out what was so great about a half breed that no one, not even his own brother, could find any worth in him.

Kagome deserved wealth, fine things, and a good home. Inuyasha could give her none of those things. The only thing he could give her was his love. But was something like that really good enough for Kagome? Especially coming from something like him.

The demon within him howled at the mere thought that he might abandon his mate.

Inuyasha had no intention of doing something like that. Kagome was his mate and he would kill anyone who tried to hurt her.

He now understood why his father died for him and his mother. He would do the same thing for Kagome and their child.

Their child.

Who would want to give a child to a half demon? Kagome would. Inuyasha knew this and turned to look at the beautiful woman next to him.

By changing the past, she had things much more complicated than they had been before. It's not that he had wanted Naraku to rape her, then kill her, because he didn't. He was so relieved that she had escaped him.

Naraku had to remember that Tomi had escaped him through the well. Inuyasha had no doubt that he would go to inspect the well. He hoped that the others didn't engage him there. Before, it had been too dangerous to leave any jewel shards in Kagome's time, because remaining demons, evil spirits or what not might attack the shrine to get to them.

Maybe now it wasn't.

Inuyasha had been working with Kagome's grandfather to control and harness his new powers. He was, in truth, quite shocked at just how powerful he was. His spiritual powers were incredible. It appeared that grandpa knew what he was talking about, even if he didn't have any powers himself. He had always thought that the old man was just crazy. Now, he knew that grandpa could help a lot. He just hadn't been blessed with any powers.

Hell, Inuyasha thought Sesshomaru had more spiritual powers than Kagome's grandfather.

Now, he was certain that he could hide at least one shard in Kagome's time without worrying about anything getting it.

Inuyasha kissed Kagome's forehead lightly as he slipped from the bed. He moved to her book bag and opened it. He found the small vial that contained all three of their jewel shards. He found another little bottle and slid the one shard into it.

He opened Kagome's window and jumped out. He scurried to the sacred tree and buried the shard at the base. He chanted a spell so powerful that only him or Kagome could undo it. At least this way, Naraku would never get all the shards, not if one was five hundred years away from him.

Inuyasha jumped into the tree. He really needed to think. Naraku had to have known that they had mated back then. He wasn't stupid… Okay, so he was stupid, but Naraku wasn't that stupid. Surely that would have pissed him off. There were things that Inuyasha needed to know so he could protect Kagome.

He needed to ask her what went on with Onigumo. What she had said to him and done with him. Did Naraku try to rape her, just because she was Inuyasha's mate? Or did he do it because he wanted Tomi? He knew she would accuse him of thinking everything was about him.

That wasn't the case this time. Though he was like that a lot. Before Kagome went back there, Naraku had been only irritated with Kagome. He had thought of her as an insect, albeit a potentially life threatening one, but an insect none the less. If Naraku had tried to rape her, just to fuck with Inuyasha, he probably wouldn't look at Kagome any different. If Naraku had simply wanted Kagome, Naraku wouldn't view Inuyasha's side kick as an insect anymore.

That was when he realized that Kagome was Tomi.

The thought of explaining away the who thing as Kagome being Tomi's reincarnation would work, but would Naraku go after her too, if he thought she was the reincarnation of Kikyo's sister?

"Sit!"

"What the hell did you do that for?" Inuyasha lifted his head and then flinched when he saw the tears shimmering in Kagome's eyes.

"I can't believe you were just going to leave!"

"Leave? What the hell are you talking about Kagome? I wasn't going to fucking leave!" Inuyasha jumped to his feet. "I was just sitting out here in the tree thinking and you sat me."

Kagome blinked and stared in shock at the glowing jewel shard she could see through the earth. She reached out for it, but jerked her hand back when it shocked her. "It shocked me."

"I know. I'm the only one who can get it. Maybe if you're nice, I'll teach you the chant to undo it."

"Why?"

"I didn't want Naraku to get the whole jewel. With this one here, he never will." Inuyasha told her.

"Why didn't you just stay in the house to think?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"Because I can't be in the same building with you without want to fuck you all night." He groaned when her arousal spiked.

She blushed slightly. "Oh."

They stood in awkward silence.

"I wouldn't mind that, Inuyasha." Her voice was soft, barely audible.

"How could you say something like that? Don't you remember what happened to you in there? I hurt you when I took you. What if I hurt you again?"

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because it only hurts a woman the first time. That part really didn't hurt that much either. It was when you bit me. I guess since I wasn't really horny, it hurt more."

"So, you think we can…"

She nodded. "Do you want to?"

To answer her question, he stepped closer to her, jerked her against him, and kissed her deeply.

He could talk to her about Naraku later.

*************************************************

It was just before midnight on Saturday night and they had spent the whole day getting better aquatinted with the each other's bodies. It hadn't been a sex marathon, but Kagome could no longer count the times they took each other on her fingers. Every now and then they would stop to eat, go to the bathroom, watch TV, talk, or just cuddle.

Kagome watched as her beautiful mate walked into the room carrying a bag of potato chips and two cans of grape soda. Before, he had been bashful when she saw him naked. Now, he wore his skin the way he wore his clothing. The same haughty arrogance he always used to carry himself with in clothing, he used when he was nude.

"Here." He dropped the can into her lap as he sat down next her.

Despite everything they had done that day, she blushed when the naked man next to her began to shove the potato chips into his mouth.

"Oh Inuyasha, that's so sexy." She was very sarcastic.

He cracked open the can and took a long drink. The back of his free hand brushed across his mouth, before he shoved another handful of chips into his mouth. "I know you like it. I can smell it, Kagome."

"Uh, you're such a pig, Inuyasha!" She climbed to her feet and stomped from the room.

His ears drooped and jumped to his feet, following her. He knew he had fucked up the moment he said it. "Kagome."

"Why are you such a jerk sometimes? Can't we just have an hour where you don't make some asshole comment like that?" He watched as she dressed in her flannel pajamas.

"I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did," she hissed at him.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He sat on the bed next to her.

"You're right. You shouldn't have said that."

"Kagome, we need to talk."

"About?"

"Naraku and Onigumo. I've been really patient and given you time to tell me, but we need to back as soon as your family gets home tomorrow. Before we do, I need to know about what happened between you and Naraku."

"What you mean besides the fact that he tried to rape me?"

"Yeah. Before Naraku just killed Tomi, not raped her. You had to have changed something."

"So, it's my fault?"

"Of course not! Naraku is a sick bastard and this is his fault. I just need to know what happened between the two of you. Did he try to rape you to fuck with me? Or did he try to rape you because he wanted you?"

Kagome felt like screaming at how selfish his question could be perceived, but she knew he was only worried about her. "Both."

Oh shit. He hadn't thought that it would be both.

"Both?"

"Yeah. He told me that killing me would fuck with you and Kikyo. He also told me on the night before you claimed me that he would sell his body and soul to demons, just to be with me."

"Did he say anything else to you?"

"Yeah. He told me that he hoped he could get to know me as well as he knew Kikyo. Then I hit him in the stomach with a rock."

Inuyasha burst out laughing, despite the seriousness of the situation, the idea of Kagome cracking Naraku in the stomach with a rock was quite funny.

She smiled. "It is kind of funny, isn't it?"

He rose to his feet after watching her yawn. He sat the chip bag and empty can on her computer desk, turned off the light, and climbed into bed with his exhausted mate.

He had sure worn her out today.

The both rested in the silence, thinking about what awaited them in the feudal era. Inuyasha smiled as Kagome rolled over placing her head on his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her and tugged her closer, so her head was against his chest.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said.

"What?"

"Miroku might be in danger."

"Of course Miroku is in danger, he is cursed by the wind tunnel."

"I'm not talking about that."

She frowned. "Then what are you talking about?"

"When you were gone, Kikyo joined the group, and it seems that she and Miroku have feelings for each other."

"If that's true, Naraku will kill them both."

"Probably. He still has this weird fixation with Kikyo. He tries to kill her, but he doesn't want anyone else to have her either."

"There's nothing we can do about it now. We'll worry about it in the morning." Kagome told him.

"Keh."

Kagome rested in silence for a few moments, before she said, "Inuyasha." Nothing. "Inuyasha?" A smirk crossed her face when she realized he was already asleep.

And he thought he had worn her out.

Snuggling closer to him, she kissed his cheek then allowed herself to relax. This was the last night they didn't have to worry about something happening to them while they slept.

*******************************************

He smirked down at her. "Good morning," he said in a sexy voice.

"Morning," she said.

His hands began to unbutton her shirt.

"Kagome, are you… Oh God, I'm sorry." The door slammed closed and both froze.

Inuyasha groaned. "Please tell me that wasn't your mom?"

"Do you want me to lie to you?" Her face got so hot, she thought it would explode.

"Damn, I guess we better get dressed and go talk to her."


	14. Brand New World

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 14: Brand New World  
  
He was terrified.

Never before had he been so afraid.

This was one enemy he had no hope of defeating. He couldn't even try. His face burned at the mere thought of facing this opponent. Naraku, Sesshomaru, Menomaru, Kaguya, and Takemaru all fighting him at the same didn't scare him the way he was scared now. He was so nervous he was shaking.

He eeped when the door opened and he dropped the bag of potato chips he had been holding.

"Are you okay?" Kagome eyed him suspiciously as she walked in with a fluffy yellow towel wrapped around her body and a white towel wrapping her hair.

He blushed even more. "Of course, I'm okay. Don't I look like I'm okay?" He stuttered a little when he spoke as his eyes shifted from spot to spot in the room never landing on Kagome once.

She smiled at him softly as she walked toward him. "No. You look terrified. She's just my mom. She's not going to hurt you or anything." Her arms wrapped around his waist. She tucked her head under his chin.

"What if she says you can't stay with me, now?"

"She wouldn't."

"But…"

"Inuyasha, she won't. We'll go talk to her after I get dressed."

Inuyasha looked out the window while he listened to Kagome get dressed. He was really worried that Kagome's mom might have said it was okay for them to mate, but what if she changed her mind now that she had seen them in the act. He didn't know if he would be able to survive losing Kagome, even if it was to her mother if she wanted to separate them.

"Here Inuyasha. You should put this on." Kagome handed Inuyasha an orange tee shirt.

"Thanks." Kagome couldn't help, but watch the way his muscles rippled as he pulled on the shirt.

Inuyasha ignored the scent of Kagome's arousal and turned to face his mate. She smiled at him. "You ready?"

"I guess." He let her lead him by the hand and down the stairs where he was sure he would face certain doom.

They walked into the kitchen to see grandpa and Sota sitting at the table. Ms. H was making something over the stove.

Grandpa was reading the newspaper and didn't even pay attention to them as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, I heard you and Inuyasha got caught, you know…" Sota wagged his eyebrows at Kagome.

Inuyasha dropped his head to the table while Kagome smacked the kid on the back of his head. "What did you do that for?"

"Sota, go watch TV." Ms. H told her son. She waited until Sota hurried into the other room.

Then a deafening silence fell upon the occupants of the kitchen. "I don't understand why everyone is so upset. Inuyasha claimed Kagome as his mate and that's what a mated man with demon blood is supposed to do with his mate." Grandpa didn't even move the paper as he spoke.

"You're right." Ms. H said.

"What?" Both Inuyasha and Kagome asked at the same time. Both were confused by what she said. Surely she was mad about what had happened earlier this morning.

"You two are married in the eyes of demon society and are engaged here. What you were doing wasn't a surprise. I do wish that when you are here that you two only…" Her face turned red. "Make love in Kagome's room with the door locked." She sat a plate of waffles down in front of Inuyasha.

"You're not going to make me go away forever and keep Kagome here with you?"

"Oh, of course not Inuyasha. I would never do that." She rubbed his ears in a comforting way.

"I told you."

"Well, now that that's settled, I'm surprised you didn't hear us come in, Inuyasha. You must have been really involved."

"Oh man." Inuyasha rested his head on the table.

"Grandpa!" Kagome and Ms. H exclaimed.

"We have to go back today," Inuyasha suddenly said.

"Today?" Ms. H asked.

"Yeah. Everyday that we're gone is one day that Naraku is getting stronger," Kagome told her mother.

"What are you going to do about the Tomi thing?" She was clearly worried about her since Kagome's return.

"He won't get Kagome. I promise. I will do everything I can to protect her."

"I know you will, Inuyasha, but I really worry about both of you."

"Can I come back in now?" Sota asked from the door.

"Yeah. Come on in, Sota."

Sota sat down and all of them enjoyed the late breakfast. Ms. H was content because they were all together. When Kagome and Inuyasha jumped into the well about two in the afternoon, Ms. H couldn't help, but wonder if they would ever have a meal together again.

Ms. H feared that they didn't give Naraku enough credit. How much more determined would Naraku be to destroy Inuyasha now that Kagome had changed the whole dynamic of the relationship, not only between herself and Inuyasha, but that of Naraku and Inuyasha?

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

Three tentacles waved behind the being, the way a tail would wave on a pissed off cat. Beady blood colored eyes bored into the heavy wooden table with a force that should have made it shatter. Hell, that look would stop anything dead in its tracks. The sound of growling escaped his well formed, but thin and dry lips.

That shocked his servants. He did a lot of things to a lot of people, but growling was something they had never heard. Even the girl made of the void, flinched at his reactions.

The pink eyed wind sorceress stood before the fourteen year old demon slayer boy, hoping to defend him, or die trying, should their master decide to attack. They had all watched his try to make the jewel fuse for hours and it wouldn't work.

Naraku had actually decided not to be an asshole tonight and allowed them to have the night off. 'It was such as shame too.' Kagura thought.

Of course having the night off meant they had to stay in the same small room with Naraku for the whole night. Though none of them would even speak it out loud, they were all sick of Naraku's constant rants about Inuyasha and his merry band of morons. They all understood that Naraku was the bad guy, and that's what bad guys did, but he really went overboard with it.

He had been talking of destroying the Bone Eater's well, because it would destroy Inuyasha if his little companion was stranded in the future. He wouldn't because if he destroyed the well and the little bitch had jewel shards with her, he would have to wait until he lived to her time. He now knew that it was five hundred years. The idea of waiting five hundred years for the rest of the shards, didn't appeal to Naraku, so he decided to leave the well alone.

Naraku had known the secret of the Bone Eater's well for almost three years. It had been a few days after the time he gave the human arm with the jewel shard to Sesshomaru, so he could use it to wield Tetsusaiga (Episodes 18-21). Naraku had watched as he fought a demon while he was badly injured. Something about the half demon had changed when he sensed a change, and he had put the demon out of comission, running toward the well. Inuyasha ripped out the tree and tossed it into the forest. Naraku watched as a human girl, no older than fifteen, climbed from the well and threw her arms around Inuyasha.

He knew then that time travel was possible through the well. He had tried to pass through the well, but he couldn't. He discovered that Inuyasha and the girl were the only ones with that ability.

With the well out of his mind, he focused back on the jewel shards. Why wouldn't they fuse with one another? The three shards he had wouldn't stick to the main portion of the jewel.

Naraku suddenly dropped the jewel pieces and clenched his head in pain. A phantom pain also shot through his groin.

When he lifted his head, the insane rage in his eyes had caused all of those in the room to take a step back from him.

"That little bitch got away." He hissed.

"Who got away, master Naraku?" Kagura asked.

"Tomi."

Kagura shook her head. "You told Inuyasha that you had killed her."

His tentacles crashed through the wall and knocked over the expensive tea set he had been using. Rage flared in his aura and seemed to flow off him in visible waves. "For some reason I thought I had."

Kanna shook so hard that she dropped the mirror in her hands.

Kagura looked expressionless as her mind was in turmoil. 'What kind of an idiot forgets that his prey escaped him?'

"She will be mine. I will find her and claim her in front of that fucking Inuyasha." He vowed with a snarl.

Kagura rolled her eyes. 'Great. Whatever had caused him to remember Tomi made him hate Inuyasha more.' Now he was never going to shut up about how much he hated the half demon.

Naraku snatched the sacred jewel shards from the table, before he kicked the table across the room.

Kagura was slightly amused although it didn't show on her face. Naraku never did random shit like this, maybe she would have to thank Inuyasha and Tomi, if she ever met her.

"Where are you going?" She watched as Naraku rose fluidly to his feet and walked toward the door.

"To see the dark priestess."

"Uhh, Inuyasha already killed Tsubaki, like two and a half years ago." Kagura informed him.

He whirled to face her. "Do you think me a fool, Kagura?"

'Yeah. Duh.' Kagura didn't dare to say that to him though. "No master."

"This dark priestess has existed for three hundred years. I believe she was once the guardian of the sacred jewel, before selling her soul to a demon because a descendent of Midoriko stripped her of the jewel."

"Why would she know how to fix the jewel?"

"Because she was the guardian of it the last time it was shattered." Naraku left the room with Kanna behind him.

Kagura looked at Kohaku. Naraku decided that for Kohaku to become stronger, he should age as he was supposed to. Naraku intended on letting the boy age until he was at the prime of his strength. To Naraku that meant age twenty three.

The age he had been when Onigumo became Naraku.

Kagura had to admit that since Kohaku had grown about a foot taller, gained some muscle, and looked about three years older than he was, that he was a pretty good looking kid. Not that she was attracted to him or anything, but she held kind of a sisterly pride for him.

"This is fucked up," Kohaku said to Kagura as he shook his head. His hands reached behind back and he pulled the hair hanging to the center of his back into a ponytail.

"I agree."

"Kohaku! Kagura!" Naraku bellowed.

"Ladies first," Kohaku held his arm out, allowing Kagura to pass him, before he followed her out.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

His left hand traced the wall of the well in wonder.

It seemed to be nothing, but an ordinary well. How odd that Inuyasha and the wench could time travel through it. If any of his father's sons should be able to time travel, surely Sesshomaru was more worthy than Inuyasha.

His mouth fell open in a silent gasp as a brilliant blue light enveloped him. His hair fell upward, whipping in the fierce sudden wind, as did his clothing.

His gold eyes widened in further shock as Inuyasha's wench, Kagome materialized in front of him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Inuyasha next to her. The girl materialized first and when she did, she stared at Sesshomaru in shock.

Sesshomaru arched a questioning brow as the girl stared at him.

Then screamed as loud as she could.

Sesshomaru couldn't help his reaction. He clamped his hands over his ears and cringed. "Cease that at once." He demanded.

"What the hell are you doing down here, Sesshomaru?!" Inuyasha shouted over Kagome's scream.

"This Sesshomaru was trying to determine why this well is so special when you two arrived."

Inuyasha cocked his head to the side when he saw the look on his half-brother's face. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Sesshomaru was pouting. That's it! He was pouting! "You're jealous that I can travel through the well and you can't."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Be not a fool, Inuyasha. I care not whether or not I can time travel." He looked down his nose at Inuyasha and Kagome, before leaping from the well.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha in confusion. "What was that about?"

"That fucking bastard was snooping around in the well and he's jealous because I'm the one who can time travel."

Kagome began to giggle and Inuyasha smirked. "I know it is kind of funny, isn't it?" He asked her. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "You ready?"

"Yep." She smiled at him as he jumped from the well, carrying her with him.

It was time to hunt for Naraku again.

And this time, every thing would be different.


	15. Friend Like Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 15: Friend Like Me

**Flashback**

_"Thank you, Inuyasha." Onigumo's voice shocked Inuyasha to the core as they sat in the cave. With Kikyo in the neighboring village, Inuyasha had agreed to look after Onigumo for her._

He gaped at the other man for a second before he said, "You're welcome."

Inuyasha hated the idea of taking care of him, but Kikyo insisted and she was his only friend.

How could he deny her?

He might have agreed to take care of Onigumo, but that didn't mean he had to feed him broth. Onigumo needed meat or he would never get better physically, though Inuyasha already knew that the bandit would never walk again.

Hell, he was lucky to be alive at all. There were some half demon's that wouldn't have survived the fall from the cliff he had lived through.

Inuyasha had made sure to catch some fish and rabbits. He had also made sure that the meat was cooked thoroughly. He might want Onigumo dead, but he wouldn't kill him. Not until Kikyo told him that he could.

He had also propped Onigumo against the wall of the cave. It was the first time the man had sat up for this long in a few months. Kikyo was afraid he would break if she moved him too much.

Gold eyes glanced outside to see the darkness enveloping the land. It wouldn't be long before the sun set. And the moonless sky would be filled with darkness, other than the faintly shining stars.

Of all the places he could be when he turned human, this was one of the places he'd rather not be. Of course there would be no harm in letting Onigumo see him as a human. It's not like the bandit could do anything to him anyway.

"It was nice to have meat for once instead of that fucking broth Kikyo always forces down my throat." Onigumo spoke again.

"She means well. It doesn't matter if they're human, half demon, full demon, or anything else. Women are women, and women are weird," Inuyasha replied.

"Something we both agree on." Onigumo actually smiled at Inuyasha as he laughed slightly. "Was your mother weird?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Of course she was, but that's because she loved me. Women are even weirder when they love someone or something. She might have been weird, but she loved me, and she was my mother."

"My mother was a lot like Kikyo. She was caring, beautiful, and obedient."

"Mine was sad a lot. She worried about what my life would be like when she died. She loved me. I know she did, but she worried more about what would happen to me when she died, than actually taking care of me when she was alive." Inuyasha didn't know why he was telling this evil man all of these things. Maybe it just felt good to tell someone things no matter who they were. He knew without a doubt that he would get no pity from Onigumo.

Inuyasha didn't want anyone's pity anyway.

"What was your father like?"

"I don't know. He died the night I was born, saving my mother and me."

"Do you have any family?"

Inuyasha shrugged again. "I guess if you want to call my half brother family."

"Human?"

"Demon. He's the Lord of the Western Lands. He can't stand the idea of having a tainted brother. Kind of like the way you can't stand for Kikyo to have a tainted friend. I just can't please anyone." He stated.

Onigumo's chocolate eyes widened in shock as a white flash of light enveloped the half demon sitting across the cave from him.

When the light faded, a black haired human man sat in the place where a white haired half demon had once sat. The furry triangle shaped ears that Onigumo had once tried to cut off were now replaced by human ears. His fangs and claws were also gone. He had yet to open his eyes. The bandit knew that he wouldn't be able to see the half demons eyes, but wondered what color they would be.

With a sigh, Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open. Even across the fire Onigumo could tell that his eyes were bright blue.

"You're human," Onigumo said, looking at the half demon turned human in disbelief.

"Keh!" Was the only reply the teenager with long ebony hair replied as they sat in the cave.

"You are now at the strength of a mere human, right?"

"Not really. I might not have any strength against demons, but I am still stronger than almost all humans in my human form."

"You look very pleasing in this form." Onigumo purred, creeping Inuyasha out.

The boy frowned and looked at the bandit, who looked about eight years older than himself. "You got a thing for teenage boys, Onigumo? It's pretty bad when you can give a half demon the creeps."

The bandit chuckled darkly at the half demon's response. "Of course not. I just think as a human you aren't as ugly, half breed."

"If I'm ugly because I'm a half demon, then what's your excuse?" Inuyasha retorted, making the man laugh again.

"Maybe it's not the demon blood, but the human blood that makes one ugly."

"Maybe."

"Is your brother ugly?"

Inuyasha smiled. "No. He's one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. Of course the downside of that is he's the biggest asshole I've ever met. He's even more of an asshole than you are, Onigumo."

Onigumo smirked. "I guess I'll just have to try harder."

"Good luck with that." Inuyasha folded his arms inside his robe.

"Not that it's necessary, but thank you for wishing me luck."

**End Flashback**

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked as she sat around the fire with Inuyasha next to her and Shippo on her shoulder. Sango, Miroku, Kikyo, Sesshomaru, and Jaken joined them. Rin was sleeping on top of Ah-Un with Sesshomaru's furry pelt over her.

The wolf demons were sleeping close by. Koga said he couldn't stand the stench of dog any longer. Sesshomaru was going to let the insult slide until Koga had said the stench got worse with Inuyasha there. Rin, whom had been killed by wolves commanded by Koga, was the one to plead with the irate demon lord for the wolf demon's life.

That was the only reason they hadn't enjoyed wolf meat for dinner.

Inuyasha and Kagome had been back for two weeks and they hadn't found any jewel shards. Not that anyone was surprised. Kagome would have been more shocked if they did find one that neither they nor Naraku had.

They were nearly back to Kaede's village, almost an hour walk, but decided to make camp in a clearing instead.

"Yeah. Sorry. I guess I zoned out." Inuyasha watched as the fire devoured the wood, and danced about.

"What were you thinking about?" Miroku asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow and looked toward Inuyasha. Normally he didn't want to hear Inuyasha's voice at all, but now he wanted to. He wanted to know what the half demon didn't want to discuss. "Share with us, Inuyasha."

He glared at Sesshomaru. "Fine. I was thinking about Onigumo, are you happy?"

"You mean Naraku, right?" Sango asked.

He shook his head. "No. I was thinking about a discussion that Onigumo and I had one time."

"You knew Onigumo, before he became Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked.

"That's what I just said, isn't it? Christ, Sesshomaru are you going crazy in your old age?" Inuyasha snapped. "Why are you still here anyway? Shouldn't you be off fixing your hair or killing something? Why the fuck are you hanging around me all the time?"

Gold eyes narrowed as Sesshomaru's whip snapped out of his hand, and almost struck Inuyasha. It would have hit him if it hadn't been for the pink barrier that suddenly engulfed the half demon. The whip's tip turned the same color as Inuyasha's barrier, and burnt Sesshomaru's hand when it was drawn back in. The demon gasped in pain as he studied his burnt hand. It was just like a burn from gripping the Tetsusaiga.

"Onigumo and I once had a discussion about the way I looked as a human." He began.

"If Onigumo saw you as a human, does that mean Naraku knows when your night of weakness is?"

"No. I don't think so. He couldn't see out of the cave to know that there was no moon."

Shippo looked at Kagome in fear. "Oh no. That means Sesshomaru knows when Inuyasha turns human."

Sesshomaru turned to the kitsune on Kagome's shoulder. "This Sesshomaru has always known about the pup's night of weakness. There is no honor in killing a creature in its weakest form. Even if it is a worthless half breed."

"Anyway," Inuyasha said. "He told me that I looked good as a human and then I asked him if he liked teenage boys." He looked around at them to see most of them smiling. Even Kikyo had a sad smile on her face. "He said he didn't and told me the only reason he said that was because I wasn't as ugly as a human. I asked him what his excuse for being ugly was. He didn't have any demon blood. He said it was the human in us that made us both ugly, and then asked if Sesshomaru was ugly."

"You spoke of this Sesshomaru to that vile filth?"

"Wow, Inuyasha talked about you to Naraku's human core and I was sleeping with you and Onigumo at the same time. It seems that neither one of us could resist sharing certain things with you and Onigumo." Kikyo uncharacteristically taunted the demon lord. It was true that Inuyasha had shared nothing, but blood with Sesshomaru at that time, but she couldn't resist.

"Now, finish telling us what you and Onigumo discussed," she replied cooly as she felt both Inuyasha's and Kagome's eyes on her.

Sesshomaru looked toward Kikyo and actually smirked at her. "You share far too much, priestess. At least, you don't have to worry about breeding. Or getting some kind of rotting disease. This Sesshomaru has an extensive collection of pottery. Perhaps I could add you to my collection."

Kikyo rose to her feet with no expression on her face and walked from the group. She showed no hint that Sesshomaru's words had bothered her.

Sango leaned over to Miroku. "Did he just make a lecherous advance to Kikyo?"

He leaned closer to her. "I believe that he did."

Sesshomaru's eyes flickered to them in warning, before he turned them to a very confused looking Inuyasha.

"After I told Onigumo that Sesshomaru was beautiful, but even a bigger asshole than he was. Onigumo said he would just have to try harder. I told him good luck and he said he wouldn't need it."

They all sat in silence for a few moments, thinking about what had just been said.

"I think he's proved that he's a bigger asshole than Sesshomaru now. He needs to stop," Miroku said. He looked at the demon lord and held up his hands. "Not that I believe you are an asshole, Lord Sesshomaru."

After a few moments, Kagome rose to her feet and followed Kikyo. Inuyasha made a move to follow her to make sure she would be safe.

"I will watch after them, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said as he hopped into the trees.

Inuyasha spun around. "What the hell happened while Kagome and I were gone?" Inuyasha flopped down, only to have Shippo scurry onto his shoulder.

He fought the urge to smack the snoring Jaken in the face with Tetsusaiga's sheath, but refrained. He'd rather have the little toad sleeping then being awake and pissing him off.

Inuyasha was shocked when she didn't slap him, but she blushed and smiled at him. "Are you two…"

"Not yet. Kikyo and I decided to be nothing more than friends. Sango and I have since decided to pursue a relationship. To see if our friendship could be something more." Miroku watched as Inuyasha rose to his feet.

"Keep the shield around you guys. I'm going to go make sure Sesshomaru doesn't hurt anyone." Inuyasha was gone.

"Things have certainly gotten strange around here." Shippo now sat on Miroku's shoulder.

"I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

While they sat by the fire, Kagome followed Kikyo's soul collectors into the field where Naraku had struck her down in the form of her best friend. "Kikyo? Kikyo, are you okay?" Kagome walked closer to her.

"I'm glad you escaped him, Kagome."

"Me too."

Kikyo sat in the grass and stared at the stars. "Sit with me, little sister."

When Kagome was seated, she felt Kagome's hair. "Your hair has grown much in the time you've been gone."

"Yeah. They're called hair extensions. It's not my real hair. We figure this might be able to throw off Naraku for a while."

"It will only last for a while. What you did in the past has even changed Naraku."

Kagome didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"

Kikyo shook her head. "Just watch the stars with me."

Kagome did as she was asked and they sat in silence until Kagome was about to fall asleep. Inuyasha walked from the forest, lifted his mate in his arms, and squeezed Kikyo's hand before heading back to the others.

Kikyo wasn't surprised when she sensed the powerful demonic aura take the place where Kagome had once been. She felt the tall grass shift as Sesshomaru sat next to her. For the rest of the night, the Western Lord and the undead priestess sat together. They said not a word, for they had nothing to say to each other. They didn't touch one another, for they had no reason to. They just sat together.

For the first time in a while, the priestess, and the demon didn't feel quite so alone.

!#$%^&*())(*&^%$#!#$%^&*())(*&^%$#!

"You don't know what you're talking about mutt face." Koga snapped at Inuyasha.

"Be not a fool, half breed," Sesshomaru deadpanned.

Kagome sighed as she looked from the wolf to the half demon, then to the demon lord, then back to the half demon. Koga and Sesshomaru had been intentionally baiting Inuyasha for hours since the wolves had returned. Both were trying valiantly to pick a fight with the hot headed half demon. Occasionally, they would get irritated with one another and verbally spar for several minutes, before focusing back on Inuyasha.

Kikyo and Miroku had gone with Ah-Un and Rin to pick flowers. Jaken had tagged along with them because Miroku had mentioned something about going by the river. Jaken thought it would be a nice gesture to catch some fish for everyone.

Shippo had offered to join them.

Someone had to protect the group.

Everyone was waiting for Inuyasha's mounting explosion. His hands were clenched into fists and his teeth were grinding together. A growl escaped his throat and his aura began to shift. For some reason, everyone sensed the changed except for Sesshomaru and Koga.

They must have been too busy harassing Inuyasha, to sense the change in the half demon. The other demons in attendance took a step back from Inuyasha.

Koga looked shocked when Inuyasha's hand clamped down on one of his wrists. Sesshomaru simply looked bored. "Stop it right now." Inuyasha growled to the two demons.

Koga laughed and Sesshomaru snorted at the same time. Koga's laughter died and caught in his throat when he felt fire lapping at the place where Inuyasha held him.

Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru wouldn't have the same reaction, so he looked at his brother. Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowed in pure hatred as they glared at Inuyasha's face. He refused the show the half breed that what he was doing hurt him in the least.

"If you two don't quit pestering me, I'm going to purify both your fucking asses straight to hell." Inuyasha snarled at them.

"Inuyasha. Let them go." Kagome's hand rested on his shoulder.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin's shriek echoed through valley.

Everyone froze.

"I can sense the sacred jewels shards!" Kagome shouted.

Inuyasha could sense them too, though he didn't say it. Another sensation came to him and the group watched as Sesshomaru disappeared in a blur. He would know that smell anywhere.

"What is it?" One of the wolf demons asked.

"Naraku." Was all Inuyasha said.


	16. In Bloom

A/N: This is **NOT** a new chapter. While editing this story, I added a little extra to almost every chapter, but what I added to chapter 5 made it twice the size as any other chapter, so I split it in half. The new content in that part is in chapter 5 and 6. The next chapter is the new one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 16: In Bloom

"Look at this flower, master Jaken!" Rin shouted as she held up a purple flower.

Jaken scurried over to her and giggled as a yellow butterfly landed on his beak. "That's a pretty flower, Rin." He looked over and picked a red flower. "Look at this one, Rin."

Shippo was a few feet from them picking flowers for Kagome.

Not too far away, Kikyo and Miroku were sitting in the sun watching the three as they ran through the field, picking wild flowers.

"I think he likes picking flowers as much as she does." Miroku smirked at the woman sitting next to him.

Kikyo smiled back at him. "The thought has also crossed my mind."

She had gotten tired of listening to Koga and Sesshomaru pick on Inuyasha. It was true that he could take care of himself, but that didn't mean she had to sit there and listen to it. So, when Rin had asked if she could go pick flowers, Kikyo had instantly volunteered to take the girl. Of course, Sesshomaru stopped one of his verbal sparring matches with Koga long enough to tell her she had to take Ah-Un and the monk with her.

It was obvious to Kikyo that Sesshomaru worried that she would hand the girl over to Naraku. While Kikyo wasn't sure how she felt about the demon lord, it hurt that he didn't trust her. Of course, she had no reason to blame him. After everything she had done, she was surprised that Inuyasha trusted her.

Jaken had claimed to join her, because he wanted to catch some fish, but Kikyo knew it was because he wanted to pick some flowers.

Little Shippo had offered his protection to them. He had said that he needed to look after them because they had people who cared so much about them.

She still wasn't sure why Miroku had offered to join her. Besides the fact that Sesshomaru had all but commanded him to go. Maybe he was sick of what was happening too. Perhaps, he just thought she needed a friend. Whatever the case, Miroku was always welcome company. She did, however, always keep what Inuyasha told her about Naraku finding out and going nuts, in the front of her mind. She would never be able to forgive herself if Naraku hurt Miroku, because he thought there was something between them.

"What troubles you, Lady Kikyo?" His blue eyes were full of genuine concern.

The breeze played with Kikyo's long ponytail. She looked very far away from him, even though she was sitting next to him.

A sigh escaped Miroku's lips. It was so hard to communicate with someone that didn't want to talk. Sometimes he thought he'd have a better conversation speaking to Kilala than to Kikyo.

"Much troubles me, Miroku." Her voice was soft, and almost hard for Miroku to hear.

"Ah. I see." Really he didn't. Not one bit at all. "Do you wish to speak of it?"

"Not really. I don't even know where to begin."

Miroku did. Inuyasha had returned with Kagome, but Kikyo and Sesshomaru had never come back. He didn't really believe that anything sexual had occurred, but it would be a good conversation starter. "I noticed that you and Lord Sesshomaru didn't return to camp until we were all awake this morning."

Kikyo's head snapped toward Miroku and her green eyes were wide with shock, before they narrowed. "I'm surprised my screams didn't wake you up. Inuyasha was sure bitching about them this morning." Kikyo's voice was serious.

Miroku gaped at her. His mouth was wide open. He couldn't believe that she had just told him that. He had thought nothing went on between them. "I can't believe it."

Kikyo rose to her feet. "Good, then don't. Nothing happened." She smirked down at him.

"Wait!" Miroku scrambled to his feet. "If that didn't happen, then what did? I don't believe that you and Sesshomaru have very long, wordy, and involved conversations."

Kikyo regarded him for a second. "Why don't you ask Sesshomaru what we did last night?"

"Because he'll kill me. You might slap me or ignore me, but he would kill me," Miroku was matter of fact.

Kikyo pondered that for a moment and decided he was right. "Inuyasha came and got Kagome they left. Then Sesshomaru sat down next to me."

"And…" Miroku motioned for her to continue.

"And I rested on my back in the grass and fell asleep. He woke me when he could smell the food cooking…"

Miroku's eye brows shot up. "He sat next to you the entire night, while you slept?"

"Yes and then he said we needed to return to camp. Those were the first words he spoke to me since he made the comment about adding me to his collection of pottery." Kikyo was amused.

"Ah. That was quite funny when he said that. I knew it hurt you, but…"

"Hurt me? That was hilarious. I had to get up to leave so he wouldn't kill me for laughing." Kikyo laughed. It was one of the few times when Miroku had seen her actually laugh. It made him smile to know that he could make someone as sad as Kikyo laugh.

Miroku cleared his throat and grabbed Kikyo's hands. "I have an extensive collection of pottery. Perhaps you would like to become part of my collection." Miroku barely managed to keep a straight face as he repeated Sesshomaru's words in his own way.

Kikyo began to laugh hysterically. She pulled away and took a few steps from him. "I don't know, Miroku. I'll have to think about it." She was clearly joking, although her voice was full of sexual innuendo.

Her laughter died the instant a black blur slammed into the monk, tackling him from behind.

Miroku got a mouth full of grass and dirt, before he was violently flipped onto his back. He spit the stuff from his mouth and instantly felt his airway tighten from the way the clawed hands clamped around his neck. He stared up at the man pinning him to the ground in shock.

The being's usually beautiful face was contorted with a rage that Miroku had never seen.

And he knew the other man's face so well. It had haunted his nightmares and many of his waking moments for almost everyday of his life.

Red eyes glared down into Miroku's. Miroku watched as the other man's long black hair snapped around in the wind. Miroku wasn't sure if the wind was real or from his aura. His vision was starting to blur. Miroku always knew this demon would be the one to kill him, but he didn't think it would be because he choked him to death with his bare hands.

Lethal fangs, dripping with saliva, were bared at the monk that had propositioned his woman.

Kikyo was his.

His to destroy, his to love, his to hate, his to fuck.

No one else would touch what was his.

Somewhere in his fuzzy mind, Miroku registered the sound of Rin's scream for Sesshomaru.

"Naraku!" Kikyo ran toward the two men. "Let him go! He wasn't serious! I wasn't serious! We were just joking!"

She ran into his side hard enough that she knocked Naraku off of Miroku.

Miroku's burning lungs filled with the precious air. He rolled onto his knees and gasped for air.

Kikyo scrambled to roll to her feet, only to have a tentacle snake around her ankle and drag her back down. She looked to where Jaken, Rin, Shippo, and Ah-Un were. She waved them away, and watched as Ah-Un took to the sky, flying high above them. Then she looked back to the monk, struggling so hard to breathe.

"Run Miroku! Run back to Inuyasha and the others!" Kikyo shouted at him as she dug her hands into the earth, trying to pull away from the slimy tentacle around her ankle.

Miroku rose to his feet. "It would be useless for me to run, Lady Kikyo. With my wind tunnel, he could kill me from anywhere, if he so chose to do so."

Everyone present flinched when Naraku began to laugh. He released Kikyo and rose to his feet, charging at Miroku. Had his reflexes not been so fast, he would have impaled himself on the blade being pointed straight at him by the bored looking demon lord.

"You attack a mere monk over an undead priestess? You are truly pathetic, Naraku."

"Lord Sesshomaru." Naraku snarled. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Kikyo ran past them and over to Miroku. Sesshomaru fought the urge to growl when she began to touch Miroku's throat. "Are you okay, Miroku?"

Naraku was beyond livid. "You were correct, monk. I do have the power to kill you whenever I see fit, but after today, I will not kill you in that fashion. Oh no, monk, after today, I will torture you, then choke you to death with my bare hands."

"That was a pretty speech, Naraku. Perhaps you should take up writing romances." Inuyasha mocked him as the rest of them approached. His eyes glanced skyward to see Naraku's insects and Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku seated on Kagura's feather simply watching.

"Inuyasha." He spat.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga.

Naraku jumped back from Sesshomaru and stared at the woman next to Inuyasha. She wore a cut off pair of blue pants that were even more indecent than the little skirt she pranced around in. The top she wore was sleeveless and red. Long black hair was pulled back in a high ponytail.

Naraku stared at the mating mark that was proudly displayed on her throat. "You seem very proud of that mark, Kagome." It was one of the few times that Naraku had addressed her by her name.

She smiled at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Naraku glared at Inuyasha. "You have claimed another, despite the fact that you already have claimed a mate." His nostrils flared as he inhaled sharply. "At least this time, you have claimed her body as well."

Both Inuyasha and Kagome blushed, and didn't say a word.

"You will cease this loathsome discussion of the half breed and the wench's mating habits at once." Sesshomaru frowned slightly. He found the topic of this conversation very distasteful. He knew he had to draw Naraku's attention away from Kagome and Inuyasha.

They couldn't afford to lose either to Naraku and still defeat him.

"What were we talking about before?" Sesshomaru asked. "Ah yes, the monk and the clay pot."

"Don't speak about Kikyo in that fashion." Naraku's defense of Kikyo truly amused Sesshomaru, although it did not appear on his face.

"Don't tell me that you feel threatened by a human, Naraku." Sesshomaru deliberately taunted.

"Surely you jest, Sesshomaru. I feel no threat from that worthless monk." Naraku growled.

"Good. It would be a shame for you to destroy the monk when he isn't the one that Kikyo spent last night with." Sesshomaru told him.

Kikyo grabbed his sleeve. "What are you doing?" She hissed.

Naraku looked at the other males in his presence. He knew that Sesshomaru meant Kikyo was having an affair with one of the others.

"Oh man. Don't tell me that the two of you are fucking again." Inuyasha was clearly disgusted.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.

Miroku had walked back over to the group and he struck Inuyasha on the back of the head with his staff.

"Ow! What the hell did you do that for?"

Naraku glared at Sesshomaru, then at Kikyo. "You were sleeping with him the same time that you were caring for Onigumo."

"He came looking for Inuyasha to kill him, and I couldn't let him do that. He thought I was Inuyasha's woman and knew it would hurt him just as bad if he took me."

"Once again, you chose Inuyasha over me."

"Why do you blame everything on him?" Kagome asked Naraku.

"Because everything is his fault. It is Inuyasha's fault that I became what I am now. Had Kikyo simply given me the sacred jewel and Tomi come with me, Inuyasha would have been left alone. Once they both chose a vile half demon over me, I had no other option."

Everyone in the group was silent. They had never known Naraku had this kind of unreasonable vendetta against Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru's eyes briefly flicked to Inuyasha, then to Kikyo. "What do you want, Naraku? Surely you weren't simply passing by and just stopped in when you heard the monk and Kikyo's obviously distasteful conversation. Nothing is that simple with you half breed. You must have a hidden motive of some kind." Only boredom and slight disgust was apparent in Sesshomaru's voice.

"Actually Lord Sesshomaru, that is indeed what has happened. However, I now require Kikyo's presence. Seeing her, I think she may be able to help me with a problem I have been having." Naraku ground out.

"Like hell!" Inuyasha shouted.

Sesshomaru's eyes shifted to Inuyasha for barely a second and Naraku made his move.

He moved forward and his hand snagged Kikyo's wrist. He rose in the air with Kikyo in his arms. The only sign of distress Kikyo was showing was the fear and disgust in her eyes.

"You bastard!" Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga and prepared to unleash his Adamant Barrage against Naraku. That would destroy the bastard's barrier.

"Stop Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.

"Don't be foolish, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said. "An attack such as that will destroy Kikyo."

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru for a split second. That was the second time Sesshomaru had referred to Kikyo by her name in this altercation. Her head jerked back to Naraku and Kikyo as Naraku's nightmarish and haunting laughter echoed.

Then Naraku vanished.

Taking Kikyo with him.

"Kikyo! Kikyo!" Inuyasha shouted enraged, staring at the spot where they had just been.

"Kagura." Sesshomaru's voice called to the wind demon. Inuyasha's head whipped to the side. He had forgotten they were there.

The expression on Kagura's face was priceless. She kept opening and closing her mouth, much like a fish. She had clearly no idea what had just happened.

"Where has Naraku taken the priestess?" Sesshomaru questioned her.

She shook her head and the veil fell over her visage. "How the hell would I know? Naraku does as he pleases."

With that she was gone, leaving the group in silence. The insects soon follow.

"What do we do now, my lord?" Jaken's voice shook as he asked the question.

Sesshomaru ignored him.

"We go back to the camp and regroup. We need to form a plan, and then we need to go save Kikyo." Sango's hand joined with Kagome's as Miroku stood by her side, rubbing the bruises on his neck.

"I hope he isn't so angry that he really hurts her." Kagome was clearly worried.

"Don't worry too much, Kagome. Naraku could never hurt her in the past. Physically at least. He won't be able to now." Inuyasha used the words to reassure Kagome that Kikyo would be safe.

Even though he wasn't so sure himself.


	17. Tokyo Girl

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so very sorry I have been gone this long. It's been crazy. Life happened the past few years, but I'm back. The other new chapter is split between chapters 5 and 6.

To everyone who has read, supported, and reviewed this story the past four years I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To the readers who are reading this for the first time, I hope you enjoy.

I hope to have the next chapter out within the week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I don't make any money from the writing of this or any of my stories.

Chapter 17: Tokyo Girl

"I think we should split up and look for them. They can't have gone too far."

"We should go in a group to look. That way we'll all be together. After we rescue Kikyo from Naraku, we'll finally kill the fucker." Koga cracked his knuckles and smirked at the idea of sinking his claws into Naraku. He heard some in the group mumbling in agreement with his idea.

"We should wait here."

"Fuck that!"

Icy golden eyes flicked to Inuyasha at his heated outburst. "Naraku has an ulterior motive. He took the woman, so she would know what he is up to. He will return her to us so that she can tell us what he is planning. His act back there was another deception. Even Naraku has better things to do than worry about what a woman who gives herself as freely as the priestess does."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about Sesshomaru. You don't know a damn thing about how they felt for each other. I don't know what Kikyo told you guys. They weren't simply lovers! They _loved_ each other!" He ignored the gasps from the group.

Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes. With all they had seen and heard in the past few months, she was surprised anything could shock them.

Sesshomaru tucked his hair behind his ear and smirked. "How very amusing, Inuyasha. You sound as if you are defending Naraku more than Kikyo."

"Don't be stupid, Sesshomaru! Why would I defend him?!"

"I know Kikyo loved Onigumo and for all his evil craziness, Onigumo loved Kikyo as much as someone like him could ever love someone. This whole situation is a lot deeper and far more complicated than you could ever imagine, so don't' stand there looking all smug and arrogant, you shallow fucking bastard!" He shouted in Sesshomaru's face.

"You will refrain from shouting in the face of this Sesshomaru like some spoiled child." Sesshomaru shoved Inuyasha away from him, knocking him to the ground.

'_Oh yeah, Sesshomaru. Like that behavior is any more mature than Inuyasha's. Jeez, you'd think both these guys were little kids or something sometimes.'_ She sighed and shook her head when Inuyasha jumped to his feet and charged at Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha's arms wrapped around Sesshomaru's middle and he ducked his head to avoid the spikes of the demon's armor as they crashed to the dirt.

Everyone in the group stepped back allowing them plenty of room to take out their frustrations on each other.

Kagome flinched when a well placed elbow slammed into Inuyasha's chest, just above his sternum, and he rolled off Sesshomaru. He was trying hard to regain his breath as the elder brother rose gracefully to his feet.

Oh damn, that hurt. There were just some places you got hit that hurt like hell or stole your breath. It didn't matter if you were human, half demon, or demon, apparently when you got hit in that spot, you went down for at least a few seconds. The recovery time was different though.

"You…bastard…" He was still gasping as he rose to his feet.

"The only bastard I see around here, Inuyasha, is you."

Inuyasha growled and his right hand grabbed at the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru's hand rested on Tokijin.

This was rapidly spiraling out of control.

Naraku could very well still be in the area, watching behind his barrier. He could be waiting for the brothers to wear themselves down before attacking the group.

This had to stop. Besides, Kikyo was in trouble and this wasn't helping her. Kagome knew Sesshomaru was concerned about Kikyo. She wasn't blind. She had seen the way he acted while Naraku held Kikyo. He probably didn't even know why he cared, but he was upset she had been taken too.

"Stop it! Both of you stop it, right now!" she shouted as she ran between the two brothers. They had yet to draw their swords, so Kagome thought she was relatively safe. Perhaps, it wasn't the greatest idea she had ever had, but she only had one other option. Telling Inuyasha to sit to stop them would only embarrass him and Kagome didn't want to do that to him.

She looked to her mate then to his brother. "You two need to stop this. I'm worried about Kikyo too. I've never seen Naraku that mad before and don't know what he's going to do to her. Look at what he did to Miroku!" She pointed to the monk with visible bruises around his throat. "Now, we don't know what Naraku is doing, but standing here idle while the two of you pound on one another isn't getting us anywhere and it sure as hell isn't helping Kikyo!"

"I agree with the girl, Inuyasha. This is doing nothing, but giving Naraku more time. Clearly your mate has more sense than you, Inuyasha. You made a wise choice when you took her for your mate."

"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." She smiled at him. Then she looked to Inuyasha. "Besides, I think Sesshomaru is right."

"You what?!"

"I think Naraku will bring Kikyo back to the place where he took her. He always sends one of his minions to tell us what he is planning. He wants us to lead him to what he is searching for. That's the way he has always been. We don't need to look for her, because he will bring her back to us."

"What if you're wrong?"

"Don't you think I have thought about that? I'm sorry worried that I'm wrong. What if he doesn't bring her back? What if he is so angry that he kills her? In the month I spent there, I grew to care for Kikyo like she was my sister. I love her, Inuyasha. But loving her doesn't change the fact that I think Sesshomaru is right. There is no sense in running all over the place when we don't know where to run to."

"Fine, whatever. If he doesn't bring her back in two days we split up and look for her."

"Seven," Sesshomaru said.

"Three and a half. If she is not back by midday in three days, we will split up to go search for her. Okay?"

"Keh!"

"Hn."

Kagome rolled her eyes at the two and turned to everyone else. "You hear that everyone? We're going to stay around here for three and a half days, if Kikyo is not back by midday in three days, we will split up to look for her."

"Let's go back to the village and see if we can come with anything to help Miroku's throat." Sango finally said.

"Yes. Perhaps the old priestess can help Inuyasha control and channel his powers better. I don't want Koga to be a jerk and get purified because Inuyasha has more power than he knows how t control." Ayame stated, gaining indignant sputtering from both males.

"And maybe Kagome can go back to her world and get us all some ninja snacks." Shippo piped up. "And see if there is anything in her time that can help Miroku's throat, of course." He added when he saw the way everyone frowned at him.

"I'm not really comfortable in a human village and I don't think it's the best place to bring the wolves. We'll stay right here and make camp," Koga said.

"This Sesshomaru shall take his group and stay in the clearing by the well. If your woman is planning on going back to her world, it should be monitored to prevent anyone from fooling with it or her." Then, they took to the sky and were gone.

"Fine. This is where we'll meet in two nights, because if she ain't back by then, we'll need to come up with a plan."

"Two days without seeing mutt face. It's going to be heaven." Koga crossed his arms across his chest.

"You can leave anytime you want, Koga. No one is keeping you here." Kagome laced her fingers with Inuyasha's and squeezed his hand.

Koga's mouth gaped as Kagome and Inuyasha turned toward the village and walked away with the rest of his group following.

Shippo looked back while he was sitting on Kagome's shoulder. "Idiot." He snickered at the still slack jawed wolf.

******************

"What can I get for Miroku?" She was scanning the medicine aisle at the supermarket. The only thing she could come up with to get him was a bag of throat drops. She had never been strangled within a few inches of her life before, so she was kind of at a loss as to what to get for him. She had to imagine that his throat would be really sore for a few days, but had no idea for sure.

Maybe she could get Hojo to get her something for a severely irritated throat.

No! That would not be cool. She was exclusively with Inuyasha now and had to set things straight with Hojo the next time she saw him. Being led on sucked and she didn't want anyone else to put anyone through that.

Inuyasha had agreed, without much of a fight, to let Kagome go home for the night. He had wanted Kagome to help him with his powers, but she had told him Kaede would be better, because she wasn't nearly as hot headed as Kagome. He was still weary of the well, as was she, but she hoped that she had fulfilled her reason for it sending her too far back.

After all, she wasn't dead.

With a frown, she looked back at her list and went over the contents of her shopping cart. Throat drops for Miroku, candy, coloring books, and crayons for Rin and Shippo, and snacks and soda for Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha.

She felt kind of bad that she didn't get enough for everyone, but she wasn't exactly made of money.

She had maxi pads, Ziploc bags, condoms, and her birth control. It had taken most of her nerve to get the condoms and she had stood in the aisle looking over what kind to get, her face flaming the entire time.

"Kagome!"

"Oh for the love of all that is sacred." She muttered under her breath. It wasn't that she didn't like her friends.

She really, really did.

Really.

It was just that nearly every time she was home, she ran into them at the worst times.

There certainly were worse things than running into your well meaning friends at the store, but when you hadn't been to school in… she groaned…more than two months, questions would be asked that you wouldn't be prepared to answer and didn't really want to.

"Kagome!"

"Are you okay?"

"Are you feeling better?"

"Are you sure you should be out in public in your condition?"

Damn it! They always made it sound like she was dying or something. One of these days, grandpa was going to come up with a disease and she was going to be quarantined. She was lucky he had told someone she had bird flu or the Black Death or something equally nasty.

She smiled at the three girls. "Yeah. I'm feeling just fine."

Yuka looked down in the cart and her eyes locked on the condoms and birth control. "Oh! Our little Kagome's growing up!" She squealed, clapping her hands.

"What?" Eri asked and blushed as she looked in the cart.

"Who's the lucky guy, Kagome?" Yuka purred, laughing when Kagome blushed.

"Errr…uhhh…Inuyasha!" Exploded out of her mouth.

"The violent two timer?" Eri's brow crinkled in disapproval.

"Stop calling him that!" Kagome shouted, drawing several looks from the people going about their shopping. "You can't keep talking about him like that. He's my hus…"

"You married him?!"

"While you were in the hospital?"

Ooo. That was good. She could run with that one. That would stop them from insulting Inuyasha and get them to stop putting her with Hojo all the time.

"Yes. I married him while I was in the hospital. I wanted to wait until I was out, but he said he wanted the world to know that I was his wife."

"Where's your wedding band?"

Shit!

"He hasn't got me one yet. I lost so much weight when I was sick that we wanted to wait until I was healthy again to get my ring."

"Oh, that's so romantic." Eri swooned.

Kagome looked at Yuka and could tell she wasn't as convinced. "So, what's your new last name?"

"What?"

"Inuyasha is your husband. What's his last name?"

"Higurashi," she replied without missing a beat. "He took my last name, because he doesn't get along well with his older brother and didn't want people to see his name and know he is related to him."

"Excuse me, Kagome?"

The three turned to look at the new woman. She was so sexy it was ridiculous.

'_Who wears short shorts? Mystery chick wears short shorts.'_ Short red shorts at that. Kagome could see the slight protrusion of a belly button ring under a white tank top that clung to every curve of her body, and showed a generous amount of cleavage. Her long, shiny black hair was pulled back in a high, but sloppy ponytail. A pair of expensive sunglasses had been shoved to the top of her head.

It was then that Kagome noticed her face. Green eyes held her transfixed as she stared at the other woman. She could literally feel the blood draining from her face, leaving it a stark bone white.

She blinked and shook her head. Maybe she was hallucinating. There was no way she could be here.

Not in this time. It wasn't possible.

Was it?

She blinked one more time and gaped in disbelief.

"Kagome?"

She shook her head again.

"Kagome? Are you okay?" Eri put her hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Then, she said the woman's name. It meant nothing to Eri and Yuka, because they didn't know what her presence meant. They didn't know that yesterday and five hundred years ago, the woman in front of them had been kidnapped by an evil half demon.

"Kikyo?"


	18. Super Massive Black Hole

A/N: Thanks to everyone that has reviewed! You guys are great!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I profit from this.

Chapter 18: Super Massive Black Hole

"Steady Inuyasha. Steady." Kaede instructed him as she tried to teach the half demon how to use a bow and arrow. She had actually been quite surprised when she realized just how much control the half demon held over his spiritual powers.

When Sango and Miroku mentioned to Kaede that they believed Inuyasha needed help controlling his powers, she had agreed to help the stubborn man.

Knowing his temperament, it wouldn't be easy.

Each time Kaede had recommended something for him to try, he could already do it.

He could infuse the wind scar with spiritual power, summon his powers at will, and totally hide his power from humans and demons alike. He could erect a barrier, and the list went on.

Kaede had also realized that with his half demon stamina, he could use his powers longer without it draining him. Without anything else left to teach him and nearly out of ideas, she had decided to teach him how to use a bow and arrows.

After all, he needed something to fight with on his human nights. Hand to hand combat was too risky, though she knew he had no problem with it.

She watched as her student pulled the string taut and let the arrow fly. She shook her head when he missed the target again.

"Damn it!" He shouted, resisting the urge to throw the bow down.

She sighed. "Again Inuyasha."

"I don't understand why I need to be doing this anyway." He muttered as he notched another arrow.

"You shoot like the A-team." Shippo snorted.

"What is this A-team?" Kaede asked Shippo.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "It's just something that Kagome has said when people hit everything, but what they're aiming at."

"Perhaps we should ask Kagome when she returns."

Inuyasha ignored them and missed again.

"It's not as easy as it looks, is it? Just keep thinking of all those times you were mean to Kagome about her archery skills." Shippo taunted.

Inuyasha growled as he let the arrow fly. This time he at least hit the tree on which the target had been placed.

"Better Inuyasha. Shippo, I do not think your comments are helping Inuyasha. If you can not watch without taunting him, perhaps ye should go find something else to do."

Shippo said nothing and Inuyasha snickered as he shot another arrow. This one hit the bottom of the target. "I don't understand why I have to learn how to use these things anyway. I have my sword, after all."

"Aye Inuyasha, but ye can not use your sword during your human time. I know ye do not shirk at the idea of hand to hand combat, but you should learn something that keeps you out of reach during such a time."

"Keh! You act like I'm some kind of weakling or something." He pulled drew back the string and fired the last arrow in the quiver. "Damn, I'm good." He chuckled when he hit the target in the center.

Shippo rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. It only took you thirty arrows."

Kaede ignored them. "I know you are not weak Inuyasha, but there is nothing wrong with staying out of harms way at times."

"Whatever." He began to collect the arrows.

"Here Inuyasha." Shippo smiled as he handed him a few he had picked up.

"Thanks." He ruffled his hair and put them in the quiver.

They walked back to Kaede's hut in silence. Once they arrived, Inuyasha put his bow and arrows in the corner and prepared to leave.

"Just where are ye going Inuyasha?"

"To see Kagome."

Kaede shook her head. "Not right now. Now, you have to meditate."

"Aw man."

Not too much later, Sango and Miroku arrived back in the village. They had been out gathering herbs for Kaede.

"Are they… meditating?" Sango asked Miroku as she looked at Kaede, Inuyasha, and Shippo.

"It appears so." Amusement lightening his voice.

"How very odd. Now, I've seen everything." Sango laughed and they back out of the hut when Inuyasha growled softly.

Miroku began to laugh. "It's a shame Kagome isn't here to see this."

"I know. There is no way that what she is doing now is more bizarre than what we just saw."

Oh, they had no idea.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!

"Excuse me we were having a private conversation here. Just who the hell are you?" Yuka demanded.

She smirked at the girls. "I am Inuyasha's ex girlfriend, and I need to have a few words with Kagome, if you don't mind." Her hands on her hips.

Eri looked from Kikyo to the still shocked Kagome. "Are you sure you want us to leave?"

Kagome nodded. "Please? I need to talk to her."

"Okay Kagome. If you're sure."

"I am. I'll be fine. Why would I lie to you guys about something like this? She won't hurt me. Promise." She tried to sound cheery as her mind tried to absorb this new development.

Kikyo was in her time. How the hell did she get here? Maybe the well let her pass through.

That had to be it!

Then again, it didn't explain the thoroughly modern clothing on the woman or the fact that she didn't seem the least bit phased to be five hundred years in the future.

If she had come through the well, why would she be wearing the clothing she was and why in the world would she be in a grocery store buying…

Kagome noticed the basket on the floor, next to Kikyo. There was a box of soft bandages, gauze, and medical tape in it.

'_Why would she need that?'_

"Kagome!" Yuka snapped her fingers in Kagome's face to get her attention.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"Okay. If you say so." Eri hesitated.

"I do. Now go on. Thanks for looking out for me." She shooed them off and then turned to Kikyo.

"How did you get here?"

Kikyo looked around the aisle. "Maybe we should pay for our items, then take this conversation some place more private." She picked up her basket and started to walk away.

Kagome stood there for a minute, before realizing she was alone, and hurried after Kikyo.

'_Now what?'_

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

Kagome wasn't sure if Wacdonalds was such a good choice of location or not. After all, it wasn't that much more private than the store had been. However since it was almost empty and there was no one sitting remotely close to them. She guessed it wasn't that bad of a choice.

She was relieved that Kikyo hadn't suggested some place where she was totally alone with her. After all, what if this wasn't really Kikyo? What if this was some demon masquerading in her time as Kikyo for any numerous reasons? She couldn't afford to be that stupid.

Not even in her own time.

"Nothing ever killed me."

"What?" Kagome was shaken from her musing by Kikyo's voice.

She lifted her cup of soda to her lips and drank from the straw. "I managed not to be destroyed in the past five hundred years." She sat her cup down and reached for a fry. "I was the walking dead five hundred years ago, Kagome. I am still the walking dead now." She waited until she was finished speaking, before she popped the fry in her mouth.

Kagome slumped back in the seat with slight frown marring her pretty features. Well, that actually kind of made sense.

It was about time something started to make sense. It was just totally weird that _this_ was the thing that made sense.

"If you've been here all this time, why haven't you looked for me?"

Kikyo froze at she was bringing the hamburger to her mouth. "Why would I look for you? What if I told you something that hadn't happened yet and you changed the way you reacted to it. You've already changed the past…"

"Ha!" Kagome smacked her hands down on the plastic table, jarring the food Kikyo had bought for them both. "If you haven't tried to find me before now then how did you know that I have changed the past?"

Both of Kikyo's well groomed eyebrows rose. "The small mark on your neck that nearly everyone thinks is a tattoo."

Kagome's hand crept to Inuyasha's mark. "Oh," she replied sheepishly.

And Kagome thought that nothing could surprise her anymore.

'Wrong again'

"So, if you won't tell me anything, why are we having lunch together like two long lost friends?"

Kikyo's smile was so sad it was almost tragic. "Because I haven't seen you in five hundred years. Tell me, Kagome, what happened before you returned here?"

"Naraku kidnapped you a few days ago. Do we find you soon? Does he bring you back?"

Kikyo laughed. "Always so eager to have an answer. Why do you waste our time with questions that you know I will not answer?"

"Sorry. I guess I got so excited to see you okay. I figured since I knew he didn't kill you that you would tell me what happened."

"I'm so sorry, but you know I can't tell you anything. Perhaps this was a bad idea." Kikyo's eyes held Kagome's.

Kagome knew there was something wrong, but she knew that Kikyo would never tell her what it was. Maybe Kikyo was right and this was a bad idea. They probably shouldn't be doing this.

What if this conversation caused some kind of rift that would destroy the universe? What if it made Kikyo and Kagome simply drop out of existence? What if…

Kagome was pulled from her paranoid thoughts as the song "Super Massive Black Hole" began to play.

Kikyo smiled. "Excuse me for a moment." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a red cell phone.

And began speaking American English. She knew it was American, because it was the kind she heard on all the American movies. It wasn't broken; it was fluent, leading Kagome to believe that Kikyo had spent quite sometime in America to be able to speak English that well.

Kagome sighed and began to eat the food that was rapidly growing cold. She hated it when people did this to her. It was one of those things she just found unspeakably rude.

Besides, it wasn't like Kagome could actually carry a cell phone with her all the time. Even if it did work in the feudal era, what would she tell her friends? That she couldn't come out with them, because she was fighting a demon.

Yeah. That would be good.

She had a cell phone. What twenty first century Tokyo resident didn't? She even had it with her, but to only mom, gramps, and Sota had the number. So she didn't have to worry about somebody calling her.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I have to go." Kikyo's voice once again interrupted Kagome's thought process.

"Okay. It was…uh…nice seeing you, Kikyo."

"I need your cell phone number."

"What? Why?"

Kikyo scribbled down her number and waited for Kagome to locate hers and did the same. "Here." Kikyo shoved her number into Kagome's hand. "I shouldn't be doing this, but you need to call me each time you return and tell me what has happened. This is very important Kagome. Do you understand?"

Kagome nodded dumbly shocked at the woman's sudden change in attitude. "I understand."

"Bye!" Kikyo rushed toward the door.

"Kikyo!" Kagome lifted the bag that Kikyo had forgotten.

"Keep it! You'll know what to do with it!" Then she breezed out the door.

Kagome picked up both trays and walked them to the trashcan, then collected her stuff, and started walking home.

She felt even more uneasy now than she had when she returned from the past.

!#$%^&**&^%$#!!#$%^&*

Kikyo watched from the crowd of people across the street as Kagome walked toward her shrine.

"What are you doing, Kikyo?" His voice spoke perfect English.

She leaned into the man that had placed his hands on her shoulders and knew he was watching too as Kagome disappeared into the crowd.

"You know you shouldn't have even said a word to her." He chastised her.

"I know, but…"

"You don't even know if that will still happen, now that she has changed the past."

She spun to face the man behind her. "But I can't let that happen. I can't let them die like that. Not again."


End file.
